Mapping pre-service teachers’ faulty reasoning in geometric translations to the design of Van Hiele phase-based instruction

Background: Pre-service teachers (PSTs) training does not equip students with adequate skills and knowledge of geometry to enable them to teach this section of mathematics competently. Inadequate teacher knowledge of transformation geometry, in particular, requires intervention that targets PSTs’ faulty reasoning displayed in errors they make.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the use of Bachelor of Education (BEd) students’ faulty reasoning in geometric translations, in designing a Van Hiele phase-based instructional programme that could address such faulty reasoning.Setting: The setting for the study was a newly established rural university in South Africa.Methods: Tests on geometric translations were administered to BEd Foundation Phase students, followed up by interviews to explore errors made when responding to the test items. The errors were then mapped to the design of a Van Hiele phase-based instructional programme.Results: The results revealed that the students had several misconceptions with geometric translations. The misconceptions were delineated into the errors that the students displayed and these were classified under two themes. The first theme was incorrect properties of transformation and under this theme, the errors were coded as confusing translation with rotation, wrong translation method, incorrect interpretation of coordinates and confusing the x and y axis. The second theme was errors involving basic mathematics operations including wrong diagrammatic representation of coordinates and incorrect calculations.Conclusion: The study showed that if the students’ misconceptions and the resulting errors are mapped to specific instructional approaches, their faulty reasoning in geometric transformations is addressed and effective learning is enhanced.

Understanding the Selection of Vocabulary Learning Strategies: The Impact of the Language Teaching Approach

This paper presents a study on how the selection of vocabulary learning strategies is affected by the kind of instructional programme followed. A total of one hundred thirty-eight secondary-school learners – seventy-two CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) and fifty-six mainstream EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners – took part in the study. They were asked to respond a vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire. The data were examined looking into how the use of strategies differed when comparing CLIL and EFL learners. Results permitted to develop two clear learner profiles that were compared. These findings will be discussed in relation to their possible implications for vocabulary development.

TOWARDS A BETTER EFL LEARNERS’ MANAGEMENT OF THEIR INDEPENDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL

This paper reports the results of a research work that has sought to investigate the characteristics of students’ management of their English language learning and has attempted to correlate it with effective, independent, autonomous learning. It stresses the importance of improving students ‘learning how to learn skills’ through implementing an instructional programme based on autonomy fostering. It is undeniable that the ultimate objective of Education is targeting quality assurance and enhancement for facing twenty first century education challenges. Therefore, the primary goal of higher education is to prepare learners to function independently and appropriately into this world in constant motion. It is our role as teachers to equip them with the necessary tools and skills so that they manage both content and the way to learn it and use it for future employability objectives. Major researches in the area of learner autonomy in language learning will be reviewed drawing the characteristics of the autonomous learning behaviour as well as the main variables influencing its practice. The research adhered to a descriptive interpretative type of research, where we have attempted to investigate whether students were able to manage, monitor and self-regulate their learning and make it more self-directed and more successful. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected thanks to a triangulation of research tools used before and after the instruction in learning skills and competencies. Some of the results revealed that while for the majority of learners, autonomy fostering was welcomed and gave significant results, not all students were ready to function independently from a teacher for their language learning.

EFFECTS OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED ORAL ENGLISH INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMME ON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RURAL AREAS IN NIGERIA

One of the key criteria to evaluate the development of any country is by her ability to explore computer knowledge. Based on this assertion, this paper examined the effects of Computer-Assisted Oral English Instructional Programme (CAOEIP) on the performance of high schools students in the rural areas of Nigeria. The study focused on two aspects of information and communication technology (ICT) namely animation and digital Video compared with conventional method of teaching. Two hundred and seventy (270) students were drawn from 6 high schools within the rural areas. The experimental groups were administered a Pretest and Posttest with the use of animation and digital video while control group was taught using conventional method. After six weeks of intensive teaching with animation and digital video instructional media, the students were assessed using Oral English Concept Achievement Test (OECAT), an instrument developed by the researcher. ANOVA and t-test were used for the data analysis. Results show that the experimental group taught with animation and digital video (CAOEIP) performed better than those with conventional method. Recommendations were made based on the findings of the study.