Alphonse Uworwabayeho
6 Publications in AERD
Author Publications
Export PDFUmuzigo w’inyongera: girls’ differential experiences of the double-burden of language and gender in Rwandan English medium secondary education
By Aline Dorimana
This paper argues that learning in an unfamiliar language of learning and teaching (LoLT) negatively impacts Rwandan girls in the early years of lower secondary education. Based on classroom observation and interviews with case-study girls in four Rwandan secondary schools, we show that where girls’ life circumstances differ, so too does the way in which the use of an unfamiliar LoLT affects them. Through the development of five typologies, we explore the ways that when girls face inequalities at the levels of time, space, material and emotional support they have for learning, the requirement that education be conducted and assessed in an unfamiliar language works to compound these inequalities. Our conclusions advocate for greater attention to be paid to the language of learning and teaching in global and national girls’ education policies to alleviate the ‘double burden’ that many girls carry. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Classroom practices in primary schools’ mathematics teaching supported by the Interactive Mathematics Software for Rwanda
By Innocente Uwineza
Over recent decades, the integration of technological resources in education increased growingly. However, studies about the assessment of information and communications technology integration in primary school mathematics activities remained few. This research intended to comparatively examine the aspects of classroom practices observed during the implementation of the Interactive Mathematics (IM) Software in primary schools in Rwanda. Designed as quasi-experimental, it involved the experimental groups from Primary-2, Primary-3, Primary-4, and Primary-5 and analyzed aspects of school statuses, the school years, and the educational cycles. Data collected using Likert-scale measurements from 63 classroom observations were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and a two-sample t-test analysis was conducted to determine if the significance of mean differences. The findings revealed no significant difference between lower and upper primary based on a p-value of 0.829368908 (p-value>.05) and between the 2019 and 2020 teaching periods (considering the same teacher) based on the p-value=0.324542 (p-value>.05). However, the findings revealed that private and public schools’ mean differences were significant based on the calculated p-value equal to 0.007144 (p-value<.01). The study made various recommendations towards using IM software to promote quality mathematics education in primary schools in Rwanda and pre-service teacher training to boost the initiation process of their technology-enhanced pedagogy knowledge to teach mathematics. © 2024, Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved.
Teachers' Perceptions towards Practical Instruction Approach in Teaching Mathematics: A case of Selected Teachers in Ugandan Secondary Schools
By Frank Murangira
Globally, there is a need to address learners' academic achievement, which has historically been poor, particularly in underdeveloped countries. Practical instruction (PI) approach has been perceived by many teachers as a better teaching strategy. Students in Ugandan secondary schools have consistently performed poorly in their O'Level national mathematics examinations. This has been attributed to teachers' failure to teach these students with practical approach in some examinable topics, making the subject very abstract to candidates. This qualitative case study analyzed teachers' perceptions of the practical instruction approach to teaching mathematics and its impact on students' academic achievement in mathematics. Sixteen teachers from chosen secondary schools in Kigezi and Ankole regions were interviewed for the study in order to understand more about their opinions on the value and use of practical instruction in the teaching and learning of mathematics. The data gathered were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study showed that teachers regard PI as one of the best teaching methodologies since it incorporates components that help improve students' creativity and critical thinking. The study also indicated that teachers' perceptions of practical instruction approaches for teaching mathematics are diverse and influenced by a variety of circumstances. Creating supportive settings, offering professional development opportunities, and providing access to resources can assist teachers in effectively incorporating practical instruction methodologies into their teaching practice, resulting in improved student learning outcomes in mathematics. It is recommended that teachers should be well prepared before commencing the teaching and learning process, including all PI components. © Authors.
Effects of Interactive Mathematics Software on Grade-5 Learners’ Performance
By Innocente Uwineza
In order to cope with globalisation and the growing world of work, educational systems are challenged to improve the quality of education. The use of technology in education attracts the focus of developing countries aiming at raising their educational status to fit the global scale. Therefore, Rwanda education system is promoting the use of ICT in primary and secondary education as an instructional tool. Interactive Mathematics (IM) software for Rwanda was developed to support the effective implementation of the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) of mathematics in primary level. Designed as quasi-experimental using control and experimental groups, this study was conducted in urban public and private schools to investigate the effect of IM software on grade-5 learners' performance. Considering IM software as a new technology under piloting phase, this study was grounded in TPACK framework with theories of technology acceptance model. Data collected through pre-test and post-test in form of scores were analysed using SPSS 23.0 to compute the statistical effect of the teaching interventions. From results, IM software descriptively showed a greater performance than the traditional class, based on the effect size of significance and learning gains. Using repeated measures ANOVA through the general linear model, it was found that IM improved learners' performance more in public than private schools, although private schools showed a high-performance level at both pre-and post-test stages. Despite that, males’ performance remained higher than females’ although females descriptively improved in post-test. The study suggests conducting qualitative studies that would bring more information about the features of IM in quality mathematics education. ©Authors.
Enhancing Upper Secondary Learners' Problem-solving Abilities using Problem-based Learning in Mathematics
By Aline Dorimana
Developing problem-solving abilities is a major objective of learning mathematics at school. However, learners' problem-solving abilities are still critical. The main purpose of this study was to investigate how the problem-based learning model could enhance learners' problem-solving abilities in mathematics. The study used quasi-experimental research with one group pre-test-post-test design. The population in this study consisted of fifty-four grade eleven learners (aged between 16 to 19 years old) from one school in Kayonza District in Rwanda. Data were collected using mathematical problem-solving tests and interviews and were analysed using paired t-tests for dependent sample means and descriptive analysis. The study results indicate that problem-based learning potentially impacts learners' problem-solving abilities. It is shown from learners' work in problem-solving that all indicators of problem-solving abilities, namely understanding the problem, planning ways to approach the problem, monitoring the progress while tackling the problem and reviewing the solution process, emerged as being fairly well improved. In addition, based on the interview results from some learners and their teachers, they like the PBL model because embedded tasks helped them to apply the knowledge that can improve their reasoning, creativity and thinking capability. The study recommends that schools encourage teachers to adopt PBL for enhancing learners' problem-solving abilities. Additionally, researchers are urged to use findings from this study as a reference for further research. Furthermore, researchers could conduct similar research on a large scale using different methodologies. © 2022 Society for Research and Knowledge Management. All rights reserved.
Assessing Satisfaction of Science School Subject Teachers and Leaders in Rwanda on the Continuous Professional Development through Online Learning
By Opanga David
In Rwanda, social, economic, and educational activities have recently been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. After its outbreak, schools closed, and one of the alternatives opted for was online learning. This study assessed the satisfaction of school subject leaders (SSLs) and school leaders (SLs) with online learning and identified opportunities and challenges for the improvement of online learning. The study was guided by a professional development framework and design for online teaching. Data were gathered through an online survey and a Zoom meeting with 158 SSLs and 120 SLs purposively chosen from the University of Rwanda's continuous professional development (CPD). Findings indicated that the most commonly used materials are laptops and mobile phones, while the most entertaining activities include doing online quizzes and interactive discussions. Furthermore, the study revealed a high level of satisfaction with online facilitation, even though teachers still need support from facilitators. In addition, males are more motivated to continue with online learning than females. It was also revealed that both SSLs and SLs still have challenges in uploading assignments, contributing to forum discussions, and understanding the subject content. This study recommended the increase of videos, online quizzes, and face-to-face sessions to improve online learning. ©Authors This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
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