Exploring High School Learners’ Proficiency in Euclidean Geometry

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative study that probed high school learners’ proficiency in Euclidean geometry in South Africa. Euclidean geometry lessons were conducted in a collaborative learning classroom, and participants’ competence was assessed using Kilpatrick’s five strands of mathematical proficiency as benchmark. Kilpatrick’s five strands of developing mathematical proficiency was the theoretical framework and it was also used to inductively analyse participants’ oral and written responses from the collected data gleaned from participants’ oral and/or written responses to activities, investigation tasks, Mathematical proficiency test and classroom observations. This study established that majority of participants had challenges in all the five strands. The few participants who demonstrated competence and proficiency in Euclidean geometry provided substantial evidence of mastery of all the five strands attesting to the assertion of inter-dependence of Kilpatrick’s five strands of mathematical proficiency. The researchers concluded that students lacked proficiency in Euclidean geometry, therefore, recommended that appropriate strategies must be implemented during mathematics lessons to assist students to develop all the five strands of proficiency in Euclidean geometry, as this will assist them to overcome their mathematical learning difficulties and under-achievement.



Author Information
Fitzgerald Abakah, Durban University of Technology, South Africa
Deonarain Brijlall, Durban University of Technology, South Africa

Paper Information
Conference: ECE2023
Stream: Primary & Secondary Education

This paper is part of the ECE2023 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Abakah F., & Brijlall D. (2023) Exploring High School Learners’ Proficiency in Euclidean Geometry ISSN: 2188-1162 The European Conference on Education 2023: Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1162.2023.7
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1162.2023.7


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Posted by James Alexander Gordon