Mathematics and science in South Africa :an international achievement study at junior secondary level

Abstract

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study is the largest international study of its type undertaken. Over 500 000 students in Grades 7 and 8 (Standards 5 and 6) from forty-two countries participated in the programme. The South African sample involved 9 88 7 students. The ranking order shows that South Africa was placed last out of the forty-two countries ranked. This included only three other developing nations: Colombia, Iran and Thailand. South Africa was the only African country that participated in TIMSS; and this study was designed to investigate and evaluate South Africa's achievements in Mathematics and Science at the Junior Secondary level through the TIMSS testing instruments. Chapter 1 suggests reasons for and the likely benefits from participation in international studies of this nature. Chapter Z outlines relevant theories of learning and the opportunities to apply them to South African Mathematics and Science education and so provides a background for examining the test findings. Chapter 3 considers the contexts within which the South African study took place and describes the educational 'climate' in which the testing programme occurred. The fact that TIMSS - South Africa took place amidst all the uncertainties of restructuring eighteen different education departments into nine provincial departments is highlighted. The technical design, data processing and methodology of TIMSS are set out in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 comprises a comparative analysis of South African performance in specific groups of Mathematics and Science questions with those of the other participating developing nations and selected developed nations in order to provide as broad a perspective as possible. Important findings are that the South African students displayed poor competency in concept formation and thinking skills in Mathematics and Science and were weak in fundamental processes and awareness of number sense, particularly in Mathematics. In the Natural Sciences there a corresponding lack of problem solving abilities was displayed. Although the South African Science curriculum was shown to be appreciably 'out of step' both with the curricula of other participating countries this had little impact on the eventual achievement levels. Chapter 6 examines the profile of participating South African students in terms of their home and school milieux, attitudes towards Mathematics and Science learning and teaching and language of instruction. It is significant that with the exception of Colombia, South Africa had the oldest participating group; and South African students are allocated a minimum of scheduled time for these subjects compared to most other nations. The concluding chapter reviews the aims, objectives and premises of this study and makes recommendations summarises identified problems. In particular, a synopsis of the impact of second language instruction on learning and the 'time on task' problem in Mathematics and Science is given. The findings are particularly relevant since they present a 'first ever' national picture and international comparison of Mathematics and Science achievement in South Africa at Junior Secondary level.