A resilience perspective of learning mathematics in a disadvantaged environment

Abstract

Poor learner performance in mathematics is consistently observed throughout the education system in South Africa and starkly pronounced in historically disadvantaged schools in historically disadvantaged environments. Despite interventions such as nofee paying policy, a National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology and National School Nutrition Programme, poor learner mathematics performance remain endemic. Learner achievement studies have mainly focused on identifying individual characteristics, ignoring the protective processes that promote mathematical resilience. This study aims to explore how disadvantaged learners in disadvantaged environments learn mathematics in the Further Education and Training band. A two-stage or phased sequential exploratory mixed-method design, with the qualitative phase preceding the quantitative phase was anchored within the socioecological resilience perspective. The study framework that draws from the work of Vygotsky, Carroll and Skovsmose, focuses on the dynamic interactions between learners and the connection between the home and the school. In this framework, learner mathematics achievement is a means towards the learner’s foreground. Mathematical learners who displayed improvement in their mathematical achievement, as identified by their previous achievements within the Further Education and Training band were targeted in this study. A total of nine Grade 12 learners (five boys and four girls) learning mathematics in disadvantaged environments from Johannesburg West and Johannesburg Central Education Districts were purposively selected for Phase 1 and one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with them. A questionnaire that was supported by findings from the interviews was administered to 461 respondents (55% (253) female and 45% (208) male) learning mathematics in Grade 10, 11 or 12 in Phase 2 to develop a Mathematical Resilience Scale within a South African context. Thematic analysis and exploratory factor analysis are the two main data analysis techniques sequentially utilised in the study. Results of this study reveal a variety of processes undertaken by mathematical learners to develop mathematical resilience. These processes include access to social-relationships that give rise to the use of assessment feedback as a learning strategy for learning mathematics.