UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Diliman, Quezon City

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Division of Curriculum and Instruction

MATA, MARCO D. EDUC 293

2018-20127 HOMEWORK #1

FORMULATED (POSSIBLE) RESEARCH PROBLEMS

1. How do Mathematics Teachers teach Two-Column Proof to Grade 8 Students?
2. How much of the Department of Education guidelines in giving performance tasks is followed by Mathematics teachers?
3. What are the effects of having too much weight score in performance tasks rather than in written works and/or quarterly exams in
Mathematics?

ANALYSIS OF LOCAL AD FOREIGN STUDIES

LOCAL STUDY #1

AUTHORS
Jovan E. Garcia Lyn Mikaella L Feliciano Sherwin C. Manalo
James Emmanuel G. Custodio Shailla Mae M. Serito Alphie Garing

TITLE
Career Aspirations of Stem Students of University of Batangas Towards Stem Careers

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines, June 20 to 22, 2017

BACKGROUND
The K to 12 Program introduces the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics strand to strengthen the system
education in the Philippines to be able to compete globally. Along with this implementation is the arousal of more problems
such as instruction delivery, lack of qualified teachers, and lack of preparedness from the government.
K to 12 senior high school curriculum was created to give the best possible tools and career choices after high school
and will lead students to employment, entrepreneurship, higher education and middle-level skills development (DepEd SHS
Primer)
In line with this mission is the establishing of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand.
This strand is especially designed for the students who will take Engineering courses, Technology related courses like
Information Technology, Science courses like Medicine, and Mathematical courses like BS Mathematics.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will examine the career aspirations of those students under STEM track if they will take STEM related
careers. The researcher’s wants to examine the STEM students who will be taking a STEM career in the near future. They aim
to identify the different STEM programs that are being implemented and evaluate how effective is it in influencing their career
choice. Due to the nature of the study, the researchers decided to employ a Descriptive design using survey questionnaires.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

There are 91 respondents of the study from the Senior High School Department of University of Batangas who are
taking under the STEM strand. They had experienced the specialized STEM programs and learned through a specialized
curriculum and instruction. They had performed a different designed activity that has been influential to them under the
STEM strand. They also already take career orientations and seminars to decide on what career they would take after Senior
High school and College.
RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT
Research Question Instrument Statistical Analysis Result
1) What career choices Questionnaires on:  The first section is to Results show that the priority
are most likely to be  determining what the career identify the respondent’s career of the students taking
taken by STEM choice of the students is. career choice. STEM strand is engineering
students from  determining the STEM programs  The second section allows but there are also students that
University of that might have influence the the respondents to identify will take unrelated STEM
Batangas? respondents’ career choice. the programs that have careers in the future. The
2) What STEM  identifying which is the most influenced their choice. results also suggest that the
programs influenced influential STEM program that  In the third section they current STEM programs are
the student in affects the career choice of the identified to what extent influential to the students at an
choosing their career? students of the University of they were influenced. identified degree though there
3) What proposed action Batangas Lipa campus.  Lastly, in the last section are some other suggested
maybe suggested for  determining the possible solutions they had ranked the programs that may improve
the STEM student? that may improve the STEM proposed programs given by their skills and learning such
4) To what extent were program to become more the researchers for the as Internship.
they influenced by influential to students to choose improvement of managing
STEM programs? STEM careers. STEM.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
RECOMMENDATION
Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended for the UBLC to:
 empower the current STEM programs
 integrate career related activities
to influence the students enough under STEM strand to take STEM related careers in the future.

LOCAL STUDY #2
AUTHORS
Judith S. Rabacal (PhD) Christopher C. Alegato (MAED)

TITLE
K-12 STEM Track in One Public Secondary School: Opportunities and Challenges

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 4, November 2017

BACKGROUND
The Philippine government initiative of implementing K-12 in our educational system could be a possible solution to
address the gap stated above. However, in the K-12 pilot implementation several arguments and recurring doubts have surfaced
such as scarcity of learning materials, lack of classrooms and even the qualifications of teachers who will teach the senior high
programs had become a national issue. All these and other concerns, prompted the researcher to conduct the study on the
opportunities and challenges in the implementation of K-12 STEM track in Negros Island Region, Philippines.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to determine the opportunities and challenges in the implementation of K-12
STEM track in one public secondary school in the Philippines. Specifically, the study aimed to
(1) Determine the extent of challenges and opportunities in the implementation of K-12 STEM track as assessed by
administrators, teachers, and students;
(2) Test if there is a significant difference on the extent of challenges and opportunities in the implementation of K-
12 STEM track as assessed by administrators, teachers and students;
(3) Determine the challenges encountered on the implementation of the program and
(4) Determine the opportunities they can get for the program on future life situations.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This is a descriptive study which aimed to determine the opportunities and challenges in the implementation of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) K-12 program. The respondents of this study were the
administrators, teachers and students of one public secondary high school in the Philippines.
RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT
Research Question Instrument Statistical Analysis Result
1) What career Questionnaires on  Scale - To describe the extent of opportunities There is a very high
choices are most  profile of the respondents and challenges in the implementation of STEM extent of opportunities
likely to be taken of the study. as assessed by the administrators, teachers, and and challenges in the
by STEM students  series of questions that students, the scale and its interpretation below implementation of
from University of includes the extent of was used. STEM as assessed by
Batangas? opportunities and Scale Interpretation: the respondents. There
2) What STEM challenges in the 4.20 - 5.00 Very High Extent is no significant
programs implementation of STEM 3.40 - 4.19 High Extent difference on the
influenced the as assessed by 2.60 – 3.39 Moderate Extent extent of opportunities
student in administrators, teachers 1.80 – 2.59 Low Extent and challenges in the
choosing their and students. 1.00 – 1.79 Very Low Extent implementation of
career?  a series of open-ended  ANOVA - To determine if there is a significant STEM in the areas of
3) What proposed questions which difference on the extent of opportunities and curriculum and
action maybe determine the challenges in the implementation of STEM as instruction, faculty
suggested for the opportunities and assessed by the administrators, teachers, and qualifications, learning
STEM student? challenges that the students resources and school
4) To what extent respondents encountered  thematic approach - To determine the plant and facilities.
were they on the implementation of opportunities and challenges on the
influenced by the senior high school in implementation of the general academic services
STEM programs? (STEM) track. strand STEM K-12 program as perceived by the
school administrators, teachers and students

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
This study is a descriptive quantitative-qualitative in nature and survey research design was utilized. Descriptive
method of research aimed at finding out "what is," so observational and survey methods are frequently used to gather and
collect descriptive data. It is research methodology focuses with the present phenomenal conditions such as practices, beliefs,
processes, relationships or trends [9]. The study utilized a stratified random sampling technique to determine the sample size
of the study. A content validated research survey instrument was used to address the problems set forth in this study.

RECOMMENDATION
The researcher recommends that:
 administrators, teachers and students should be open to all forms of media which will help them to get a better
understanding about K – 12 program.
 Future researchers should conduct a study on the effectiveness of K – 12 after the implementation of the program.
 the implementation of this program may combine with nonstop expert trainings of educators to clear ranges of
misinterpretations, for example, on evaluating framework, aptitudes advancement for business guidelines, and on
handling of learning exercises to achieve target capabilities and accomplishment of authority.
 future researches to conduct study on the implementation of K-12 program considering other variables.

LOCAL STUDY #3
AUTHOR
Aldrin John Jao Estonanto

TITLE
Acceptability and Difficulty of the STEM Track Implementation in Senior High School

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 2, May 2017

BACKGROUND
The Department of Education in the Philippines implemented the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum in 2013
which led to the creation of Senior High School Program. Studies showed the importance of the support of stakeholders to the
success of an educational reform. Thus, it is significant to consider the acceptance of the new curriculum. This descriptive-
correlational study sought to determine the acceptability of the Senior High School STEM program and correlate it to the
difficulty level of problems along its implementation.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is about the acceptability of the Sorsogon State College Senior High School- Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics Program and the difficulty of its implementation. It is primarily concerned with the correlation
between the two aforementioned variables.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This descriptive- correlational study sought to determine the acceptability of the Senior High School STEM program
and correlate it to the difficulty level of problems along its implementation. The study involved 101 respondents which is the
main subject of the research. Of which, 25 % of the total number of students and parents were taken as sample

RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT

Research Question Instrument Statistical Analysis Result
(1) Determine the acceptability  Part I measures the  Frequency count and (1) The acceptability level of the
level of the SSC Senior High acceptability level of percentage were used in this Sorsogon State College Senior
School- STEM curriculum the program using a study in determining the High School- STEM
among the following five- point Likert Scale acceptability level of each Curriculum among
stakeholders: students, parents, below: stakeholder as categorized as stakeholders is low;
faculty members and 5- Very Much Agree Student, Parent, Faculty or (2) The difficulty level of the
administrators; 4- Agree Administrator. problems encountered is high
(2) Determine the difficulty level 3- Moderately Agree  Mean and ranking were used and the major areas in the
of the problems encountered 2- Disagree in finding the average implementation of the Senior
along its implementation and 1- Very Much Disagree acceptability level of the High School Program that
the areas in the implementation  Part II measures the stakeholders as a whole and the encountered very high
that encountered major difficulty of its areas in the implementation of difficulty level were the areas;
problems; implementation using a the new curriculum that (3) There is a significant inverse
(3) Test the relationship between five-point Likert scale encountered major problems relationship between the level
the perceived acceptability and below: respectively. of acceptability of SSC Senior
difficulty of the implementation 5- Very Poor  Pearson’s Moment Product High School- STEM
of the curriculum and; 4- Poor Coefficient of Correlation Curriculum among
(4) Propose intervention 3- Needs Improvement significant relationship between stakeholders and the difficulty
programs that will address the 2- Good the acceptability level of the level of problems encountered
problems and thereby 1- Very Good STEM program and the by the school along the
strengthen the implementation difficulty level of problems implementation of the
of the Senior High School- encountered was determined curriculum.
STEM curriculum. using

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
This study utilized the descriptive- correlational and developmental method of research. It is descriptive since it is
concerned with determining the level of acceptability of the newly implemented curriculum and finding out the problems
encountered along its implementation and the difficulty level of these problems. Likewise, it is correlational because it sought
to test the relationship between the acceptability of the new program and the level of difficulty of the problems encountered. It
was primarily designed to determine the acceptability level of the SSC- STEM Curriculum

RECOMMENDATION
The following recommendations are presented by the study:
(1) A series of information- dissemination programs like seminars and conferences for stakeholders about the K + 12 Senior
High School Program be conducted so as to raise awareness and appreciation of the significance of the STEM curriculum
(2) The proposed intervention programs for the areas of Facility and Instructional Materials be given priority in the allocation
of fund and in school improvement plan for Senior High School and be implemented starting in school year 2017- 2018;
(3) The identified problems on the areas of Facility, Instructional Materials, Curriculum, Learners, and Instruction be addressed
urgently thru the proposed interventions of this study;
(4) Consultation and maximum involvement of the stakeholders in the decision- making process of the school policies and
programs be encouraged and;
(5) An ex post facto study focusing on the causes of the Very High difficulty level of the problems encountered be conducted;
(6) An in-depth analysis of the factors that caused the low acceptability of STEM Track be included in the methodology for a
future study which is the limitation of this study.
 LOCAL STUDY #4
AUTHOR
Cherly Canada Cordova Denis Abao Tan

TITLE
Mathematics Proficiency, Attitude and Performance of Grade 9 Students in Private High Schools In Bukidnon, Philippines

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

Asian Academic Research Journal of Social Science & Humanities, February 2018

BACKGROUND
One of the concerns of today’s Mathematics Education is to produce intelligent learner who will eventually become
better citizens of the future. Students today need not only apply Mathematics in problem solving they encounter in their daily
lives but also develop skills which will enable them to solve more mathematical problems in the environment or society
where they live (Effective Teaching Learning : A training Manual, 2002). There is a question however on how they will
efficiently develop these problem solving skills when their Mathematics proficiency is not strongly rooted.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The Grade 9 students will be the first graduates of the K to 12 curriculum. Their success and failure will be
considered as basis in assessing the success or failure of the curriculum. Thus, a need to determine their level of mathematics
proficiency, attitude and performance in Mathematics of Grade 9 students is timely. There is a need to diagnose their
mathematical proficiency on the basic mathematical concepts they may have acquired. Something can still be done if
diagnostic result shows a poor result. It is the academic institution’s duty to equip students with a sure foundation of
mathematics concepts and symbols so as not to leave them groping in the dark when they pursue their learning at higher

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This study assessed the Mathematics proficiency, attitude and performance of Grade 9 students at private high
schools in Valencia City, Bukidnon, Philippines. It aimed to describe the profile of the respondents in terms of gender,
parents’ educational attainment and family income; ascertain the level of mathematical proficiency; find the attitude towards
Mathematics; assess the level of performance in Mathematics; correlate mathematics performance with profile, mathematics
proficiency, attitude towards Mathematics; identify the variables, singly or in combination best predict mathematics
performance of Grade 9 students .

RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT

Research Question Instrument Statistical Analysis Result
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of: Questionnaires  Pearson product No significant relationship
a. gender, about: moment correlation between mathematics
b. mother’s educational attainment,  attitude towards was used to measure performance and gender,
c. father’s educational attainment, Mathematics the extent of family income, mathematics
d. family income?  Mathematics relationship between proficiency and attitude.
2. What is the level of mathematics proficiency of performance dependent variable However, a significant,
Grade 9 students?  Mathematics (mathematics moderately positive
3. What is the Grade 9 students’ attitude towards proficiency performance) and relationship existed between
Mathematics? independent mathematics performance
4. What is the performance in Mathematics of variables (profile, and parent’s educational
Grade 9 students? proficiency and attainment with r = 0.551
5. Is there a significant relationship between attitude). for mother’s and
mathematics performance and the following:  Regression analysis r = 0.417 for father’s
a. profile, was done to identify educational attainment.
b. mathematics proficiency, and which variable Mother’s educational
c. attitude towards Mathematics? predicts Mathematics attainment best predicts
6. Which variables, singly or in combination, best performance. performance in
predict Mathematics Performance of the Grade 9 Mathematics.
students?
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Though the review of related literature discussed some preceding statements, the following concept is hereby given
which provide the bases for this study:
 John Dewey and Jean Piaget both proponents of theories on Progressive Education which led to the evolution of
Constructivist Learning Theory asserts that learning is developed when students create meaning of their varied experiences.
 Piaget’s cognitive development theory supported that student learning is dependent on the teaching method that the teacher
implements inside the classroom. The knowledge they acquire is affected by the teacher’s way of presenting facts and
figures.
 Perceived self-efficacy is concerned with people's beliefs in their ability to influence events that affect their lives. This core
belief is the foundation of human motivation, performance accomplishments, and emotional well-being (Bandura, 1997,
2006).
 Kubiszyn and Boris (2002) stated that there are learners who acquire mathematical concepts when exposed to various
solutions in solving a problem. Moreover, some learners

RECOMMENDATION
 Parents and teachers are encouraged to do away with gender stereotype in considering students' mathematical competence.
 Also a survey on student’s family background should be put to mind in assessing student’s capability.
 Teachers are encouraged to perform diagnostic test on students’ mathematics proficiency and give feedback to the students
every beginning and ending of the school year so they will know if they improved or not.
 Future researchers may conduct a case study on how to shift negative attitude towards Mathematics to positive.
 A nationwide survey on mathematics performance might be conducted and intervention program may be mapped out so
that student’s will be catered according to what level of performance they are in.
 A case study on parents with varying educational attainment and their children’s mathematics performance may be
included in future researches.
 Mothers are encouraged to consider leveling up on educational attainment for it is one factor that influences mathematics
performance.

LOCAL STUDY #5

AUTHOR
Marie Grace S. Cabansag, Ph.D.

TITLE
Articulating the Foundations of Philippine K to 12 Curriculum: Learner-Centeredness

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

International Refereed Research Journal ■www.researchersworld.com■ Vol.– V, Issue–2, April 2014

BACKGROUND
DepEd lays high confidence on the K-12 Program in providing better quality of education that is based on spirally
progressing curriculum starting with simple topics moving toward increasing complexity in order for the learners to gain
mastery of concepts and skills. Graduates of the K-12 program are therefore envisioned as better prepared to compete
globally for employment opportunities (K-12 PrimerǀK-12 Update, Teachers’ Lounge, 2013). This change on basic education
cycle caused the conduct of stakeholder consultations, policy discourses, and education summits to gather inputs and
feedback on the educational reform, however, the K-12 Program remains an issue of inquiries on its implementation and
effectiveness. It continuously solicits different responses among various individuals from the educators, students, parents and
various stakeholders. Hence, the impact statements from the immediate beneficiaries of the K-12 Program provide salient
data on the status of the first implementation of the program among provincial schools and use such data for monitoring and
basis by the technical working groups for curricular review and further enhancement.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study aimed to describe the impact statements on the initial implementation of the science program in the K-12
enhanced basic education curriculum in provincial schools. The study described the knowledge, observations, benefits,
expectations or potentials and sources of misinterpretations on the K-12 science program on its first implementation in selected
provincial high schools in the Philippines.
SCOPE AND DELIMITATION (BRIEF DESCIPTION)
This study therefore aimed to document the impact of the initial implementation of K-12 Program focusing on
science education in grades 7 and 8 of the school year 2013-2014. The impact statements serve as the yardstick that measure
how much of the K-12 program issues and benefits are understood by the stakeholders and thereby provide data for curricular
review as the K-12 Program is on its gradual year to year implementation.

RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT

Research Question Instrument Statistical Analysis Result
1. What are the views of the teachers, A questionnaire on Coding frames were Results show that the priority
students and parents on the what they observed constructed by adopting both career of the students taking
implementation of the Science having been done in “a priori” and “in-vivo” STEM strand is engineering but
program in the K-12 enhanced basic schools in relation to codes (Barbour, 2007 and there are also students that will
education curriculum? the K-12 science Charmaz, 2006). “A priori” take unrelated STEM careers in
2. What are the benefits ascribed by the program, the and “in-vivo” codes are the future. The results also
respondents to the K-12 science benefits they ascribe distinguished from each other suggest that the current STEM
program? to it, the potentials, in that the former are those programs are influential to the
3. How do respondents relate the and issues of whose sense is apparent from students at an identified degree
potential impact of the K-12 science misinterpretations in the data themselves whereas though there are some other
program in life situations? and the implementation the latter have meanings suggested programs that may
4. What are the views of respondents as of the K-12 science which are special to the improve their skills and learning
sources of misinterpretations in the program. participants (Barbour, 2007). such as Internship.
K-12 Science program?

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The study described the knowledge, observations, benefits, expectations or potentials and sources of
misinterpretations on the K-12 science program on its first implementation in selected provincial high schools in the
Philippines. The impact statements of teachers, students and parent-respondents were analyzed using thematic content coding
technique. Coding frames were constructed by adopting both “a priori” and “in-vivo” codes.

RECOMMENDATION
The impact statements suggest the need for close monitoring of the program implementation and provision of
continuous professional trainings for teachers to clear areas of misinterpretations. Misconceptions on the nature of additional
years of study further suggest the provision and wide dissemination of policy standards on employment and education
opportunities in the ASEAN Economic Community integration.
 FOREIGN STUDY #1

AUTHOR
Erica Nevenglosky

TITLE
Barriers to Effective Curriculum Implementation

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

Walden University, 2018

BACKGROUND
In a study the NCES (2017) conducted on curriculum fidelity and professional development, teachers self-reported
fidelity rates when implementing an English language learner (ELL) program. The authors, who used a log to rate the level and
amount of time spent on using the curriculum as prescribed, found that 16% of participants recorded decreased levels of fidelity,
51% recorded average levels of fidelity, and 30% recorded consistent fidelity of implementation, as prescribed by the
curriculum developers. Previous researchers have shown a need to identify the factors that contribute to teacher concerns and
which barriers prevent full curriculum implementation (Lochner et al., 2015; NCES, 2017). Understanding the barriers to
complete implementation of a new curriculum could provide education administrators with tools to address teacher concerns
and could provide vital training for successful implementation (AIR, 2016).

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

By studying the implementation of the phonics curriculum and investigating the reasons that prevent teachers from
fully using the newer, more aligned curriculum, this study may provide information that could lead to improved alignment
within the curriculum. The interviews and observations the researcher completed for the case study will help to develop an
understanding of why teachers often fail to fully implement a new curriculum.
This understanding may lead to administrative intervention and a plan to support fidelity in new curriculum
implementations, thus leading to better vertical alignment and student success.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

The potential limitations or weaknesses identified for this study include a small sample size, which reduces
generalizability, and limited time spent in the field (Creswell, 2014). Within the study’s data collection techniques, possible
limitations include participants’ potentially inaccurate responses to the questionnaire and interviews as well as potential
reflexivity in seeking to provide responses that would be acceptable to the interviewer (Yin, 2014). Finally, geographical
location was a limitation, since one specific area was examined for the study.

RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT

Research Question
RQ1: What concerns, successes, and
barriers have teachers reported are gathered through: (b) preparation of
during the implementation of
the newly purchased phonics
curriculum?
RQ 2: What resources do teachers
believe are necessary to achieve
a more successful
implementation of the new
phonics curriculum?
RQ 3: What types of staff support
have administrators reported
being included before and
during implementation of the
new phonics curriculum?
RQ4: What components of the
phonics curriculum do teachers
include or omit in their
instructional practices?
Instrument Statistical Analysis Result
The data in this study (a) collecting data, Results indicated that teachers required
additional information before the
 questionnaires data for analysis, expected implementations occur and an
 one-on-one (c) proofreading data understanding of demands on their
interviews to get a general personal time. Common themes showed
 classroom sense a desire for professional development
observations (d) coding and (PD), peer-collaboration, and access to
labeling data into curriculum resources, which served as
segments, the basis for the project. The resulting
(e) coding text for project integrated PD to address
descriptions in concerns connected to reoccurring
research reports themes. Implications for social change
(f) coding text for include change at a systematic level by
themes to be used providing administrators with data to
in research support teachers during curriculum
reports. changes and substantiation for the
benefits of understanding concerns prior
to a change for improving curriculum
fidelity.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The conceptual framework for the proposed study is the CBAM (AIR, 2016). The concept or phenomenon
grounding the study within the CBAM includes a resistance to change and perceived barriers to organizational change or
innovation. The choice of this framework developed from the value placed on preparing educators for change through
organized methods of data gathering and an action plan for support during the process.

RECOMMENDATION
 Specific recommendations for future research include broadening the curriculum scope of the current study and
determining any concerns for the remainder of the staff through the SoCQ.
 Conducting action research or mixed-methods research could help to determine the effectiveness of team collaboration
and the potential effects of curriculum fidelity and might reduce teacher concerns
 Conducting a program evaluation could help to supply additional information on the effectiveness of the phonics
curriculum and how it is taught.
 The implications for recommended future research fall within the boundaries of this study while exploring teacher
concerns and curriculum fidelity on a deeper level and seeking to provide further strength through quantitative evidence.

FOREIGN STUDY #2

AUTHOR
Kimber Anne Mathis

TITLE
Secondary Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Curricular Reasoning

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

ISPA, Instituto Universitario, UIPCDE, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal, 2011

BACKGROUND
Researchers have found that teachers’ decisions affect students’ opportunity to learn. Prior researchers have
investigated teachers’ decisions while planning, implementing, or reflecting on lessons, but few researchers have studied
teachers’ decisions and their reasoning throughout the teaching process. It is important to study teachers’ reasoning for why
they make the decisions they do throughout the teaching process. Furthermore, because in-service and preservice teachers differ
in experience and available resources that they draw on while making decisions, it is helpful to consider the resources PSTs’
draw on while reasoning

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study about PSTs’ curricular reasoning as they make decisions throughout the teaching process is valuable for
multiple reasons. First, I consider multiple decision points throughout the teaching process as opposed to one decision point,
which provides a clearer picture of PSTs’ decision-making. Second, I identify PSTs’ curricular reasoning for these decisions
as well as the resources PSTs draw upon while reasoning and making decisions. The results of this study will provide teacher
educators with understanding about the types of decisions PSTs make throughout the teaching process and their reasoning for
these decisions. The results will also provide information about the resources that PSTs’ draw upon while reasoning when
making decisions. Thus, teacher educators can use the results of this study to better support PSTs’ development in decision-
making throughout the teaching process.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

One of the limitations of this study is that I collected data from two PST groups from one methods course at one
university that differs from other universities. These data represent a small scope of PSTs’ curricular reasoning as well as from
a single methods course. Additionally, the PSTs in my study have had a different undergraduate experience than those at other
universities, including five mathematics education courses. Despite this limitation, this study provided initial results on PSTs’
decisions and their curricular reasoning for those decisions.
RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT
Research Question Instrument Statistical Analysis
In what ways do Preservice Videos of the following: Curricular Reasoning
Secondary Teachers engage in  Planning meetings Framework (Roth McDuffie
curricular reasoning as they  Individual post-interviews & Mather, 2009; Dingman et
make mathematical decisions al., in press)
during the teaching process?  define and explain my unit
of analysis, a Big Decision
 explain the labeling of the
Big Decisions
 explain the analysis of the
data for trends and findings
Result
Results revealed that the
preservice teachers used all
seven curricular reasoning
strands, especially drawing on
mathematical meanings,
mapping learning trajectories,
and considering learners’
perspectives.
The results also imply that it
may be helpful to consider the
resources PSTs have access to,
including their instructor, and
that the order of their lesson
planning may allow support
for the mathematical learning
trajectories within individual
lessons.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The curricular reasoning framework includes seven strands that were identified in the research that teachers reason
with as they make mathematical decisions during the teaching process. Identifying teachers’ mathematical decisions allowed
me to identify the ways in which PSTs reasoned about those decisions during the teaching process. Identifying the resources
PSTs’ draw on during their reasoning with these strands provides insight into the ways that PSTs reason

RECOMMENDATION (LIST)
Despite this limitation, this study provided initial results on PSTs’ decisions and their curricular reasoning for those
decisions. Therefore, this research could be extended in three ways:
(1) by studying PSTs’ decisions and curricular reasoning in other methods courses,
(2) by studying PSTs’ decisions and curricular reasoning from other universities, and
(3) by studying student teacher and novice teachers’ decisions and curricular reasoning.

FOREIGN STUDY #3
AUTHOR
Ednah Chebet Mulwa

TITLE
Difficulties Encountered by Students in the Learning and Usage of Mathematical Terminology: A Critical Literature Review

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

Eldoret Polytechnic, P.O. Box 4461 – 30100, Eldoret, Kenya, 2015

BACKGROUND
This study sought to review literature pertinent to difficulties encountered by students in the learning and usage of
mathematical terminology. The need to carry out this study arose from the concern by the Kenya National Examinations
Council, and the general public, over the poor annual results in mathematics. Therefore, the objective of this study was to
investigate the extent to which the meanings of some mathematical terms are understood and/or confused by students for whom
English is a second language.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study would be useful to the inspectorate unit of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoEST)
which is responsible for curriculum development, interpretation and implementation. It is hoped that these findings would also
be beneficial to teacher trainers in Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) and Universities. They may have to reorganize their units
in the teaching of mathematics so as to give the language of mathematics a special consideration.
Mathematics teachers will also benefit from the findings as this study has identified the shortcomings in the teaching
and learning of mathematics. From these findings, the author has suggested ways of teaching the mathematics terminology so
as to generate more understanding to the pupils. This would enhance the teaching and learning process and, subsequently,
improve performance in the subject. The findings would also form a data bank for reference and an area for further educational
research.
SCOPE AND DELIMITATION
This study confined itself to investigating the extent to which students encounter difficulties understanding and using
mathematical terminology and their related concepts. It was conducted in public primary schools within Eldoret municipality.
The population of the study was standard eight pupils from the selected primary schools. One limitation was that pupils tended
to consult from one another, but this was remedied by strict supervision by the researcher and the subject teacher.

RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT

Research Question
This paper sought to
investigate the extent of
confusions and/or difficulties
encountered by students in
learning and using
mathematical terminology by
reviewing literature pertinent
to the subject.
Instrument Statistical Analysis
Past documents related to the This study’s objectives were
problem achieved through the use of
document analysis. Data
analysis involved document
review
Result
The findings of this study
showed that students have
difficulties in using
mathematical terms and their
related concepts. Possible
ways of teaching these terms
so as to generate more
meaning to the learners were
also suggested. It is hoped that
this will assist mathematics
teachers, curriculum planners
and textbook authors to
counter the poor performance
in the subject in Kenya.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The basis of this study was the constructivist theory by J. Bruner and the cognitive flexibility theory of R. Spiro, P.
Heltovitch and R. Coulson which advocates for teaching learners to construct the meanings of mathematical terms.

RECOMMENDATION (LIST)
Due to the limited scope of this work, the author felt that there is need for more extensive research in the same area
in order to arrive at conclusions that would be more valid, and applicable, to a larger student population.
1. Further research should be done, preferably covering a larger sample of primary schools, including both urban and rural
schools, and at all levels.
2. A similar study should be done, preferably covering a larger sample of secondary school students at all levels.
3. Research on the language of mathematics focusing on:
(i) Types of classroom interactions among pupils and between pupils and their teacher(s).
(ii) Language used in mathematics textbooks needs to be done. In this respect, special attention will need to be paid to
these two aspects on both the learners’ and teachers’ use of mathematical language.
4. A similar study on the language of mathematics, focusing on the signs and symbols used in mathematics instruction, need
consideration.
5. A comparison of performance in mathematics by students who are good or poor in English as a subject.

FOREIGN STUDY #4
AUTHOR
Lesego Tawana

TITLE
Identifying Relevant Factors in Implementing a Chemistry Curriculum in Botswana

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

Eldoret Polytechnic, P.O. Box 4461 – 30100, Eldoret, Kenya, 2015

BACKGROUND
A general concern in science education is that change in the curriculum has had little impact on the classroom practice.
Following the introduction of a new curriculum called the Botswana Government Certificate in Secondary Education (BGCSE)
curriculum in Botswana senior secondary schools, this study set out to investigate issues relating to implementation of the
proposed curriculum, that is, mapping teaching effectiveness intended to improve students’ learning of chemistry compared
with teaching during the old curriculum. This thesis reports the extent to which some chemistry teachers in Botswana senior
secondary schools are implementing classroom methodologies that focus on learner-centred and hands-on activities.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
To do this the study will characterize transformations made by teachers when implementing the BGCSE, and their
understanding of the requirements of the new curriculum. Their schools’ capacities will be used as well, to see how well they
are linking and translating into practice. Knowing more about the aspects of capacity will help seeing how chemistry teachers
implement the chemistry syllabus. The teachers themselves come with their own professional histories and the departments
and classrooms in which they work have their own dynamics. Insights gained will increase the understanding of how these
teachers accept, adapt, or resist such changes. This is of interest to all those concerned with professional development of
chemistry teachers. This could also be helpful for teachers of other science subjects. After identifying practices for various
schools, recommendation of functional standards will be made to those schools where implementation has been unsatisfactory.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This study specifically aims to find how teachers are putting curriculum demands into practice. These necessitated
finding the nature of contexts that existed in the school. Chemistry classroom environments were investigated and capacity
profiles outline drawn for the selected schools. This therefore allowed gaining insight as to whether schools and teachers are
in a realistic state in terms of physical resources and interpretation of the syllabus to put demands into practice effectively. A
cross-case study between schools was attempted to find out if there is a relation between the capacity to support innovation
and the level of practice in chemistry education in selected schools. The usefulness of the zone of feasible implementation
(ZFI) concept will be established and the possibility to identify specific areas of growth.

RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT

Research Question
1. How is the BGCSE chemistry
curriculum perceived by the
chemistry teachers?
2. How is the teaching and learning
of chemistry conceptualized by the
teachers?
3. How do designs and organizations
in schools promote or inhibit new
curriculum implementation in
Botswana secondary schools?
 What is the nature of resources in
the science departments and how
do they affect the implementation
of curriculum in selected schools?
 How did the nature of the
relationship between teachers and
other staff members affect the
implementation of the BGCSE
and work during the period under
review?
Instrument Statistical Analysis
 interviews,  First I conducted
 observations, interpretative analysis of the
 resources checklists data by reading the
transcripts and field notes.
 All the data was then
subjected to the use of the
ATLAS.ti programme to
help coding
 This was followed by
categorising data into more
manageable themes,
identifying and isolating
what appeared to be
important.
 These themes were used to
frame assertions, which
were subsequently evaluated
in the light of supportive
evidence.
Result
It was found out that
classroom
implementation was not as
inflated as the resources on
ground seemed to suggest.
Several influential factors
were found to be linked to the
unfolding of a curriculum
inside the classroom such as
departmental contexts. The
contexts were found to relate
closely with the nature of
communities that existed in
science departments, which
were linked to how teachers
were distributed within
departments.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The theory of curriculum implementation (Rogan and Grayson, 2003) creates a detailed picture of factors surrounding
the innovation processes in schools. It consists of three main parts referred to as constructs, summarised diagrammatically
below. The constructs are (i) the profile of implementation, (ii) the capacity to innovate and (iii) outside agencies.
 FOREIGN STUDY #5

AUTHOR
Benjamin Schenkel

TITLE
The Impact of an Attitude Toward Mathematics on Mathematics Performance

SOURCE (PUBLISHER, LOCATION, YEAR)

BACKGROUND
Students have many different perceptions of mathematics. Most business and athletics leaders will talk about how the
individual’s attitude directly affects their performance in the office or on the field. This study looked at how students and
teachers’ attitudes impact the mathematics performance of the students in the classroom. One small private school in
Southeastern Ohio was the focus of this study. Students and teachers both were surveyed by the researcher on their attitude
towards mathematics education.

SIGNIFICANCE
To do this the study will characterize transformations made by teachers when implementing the BGCSE, and their
understanding of the requirements of the new curriculum. Their schools’ capacities will be used as well, to see how well they
are linking and translating into practice. Knowing more about the aspects of capacity will help seeing how chemistry teachers
implement the chemistry syllabus. The teachers themselves come with their own professional histories and the departments
and classrooms in which they work have their own dynamics. Insights gained will increase the understanding of how these
teachers accept, adapt, or resist such changes. This is of interest to all those concerned with professional development of
chemistry teachers. This could also be helpful for teachers of other science subjects. After identifying practices for various
schools, recommendation of functional standards will be made to those schools where implementation has been unsatisfactory.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This study was limited by the size of the population in the school being used in the research. Another limitation is
that attitude can be influenced on a daily basis and a bad experience on the day of the survey could skew the students’ response
to the survey. Another limitation is that this study is only being done on one small private school in southeast Ohio. Although
the focus of the study is on this school, it will limit the ability of the researcher to generalize the findings to a large population.

RESEARCH QUESTION, INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, RESULT

Research Question Instrument Statistical Analysis Result
The researcher collected data from The researcher developed  Pearson product moment After calculating all of the
students and teachers by using both a Quantitative-qualitative correlation was used to scores for the students at St.
open ended questions and scaled questionnaire with measure the extent of Mary’s, none were categorized
answers on a Likert scale. The questions that the subjects relationship between as having a negative attitude,
research asked the students answered using a Likert variables while the majority of the
questions to get a general idea of Scale. respondents had what the
their attitude about mathematics. researcher categorized as a
The teacher asked about how they positive attitude. Of the 48
see attitude affecting student students who had a positive
performance, if they are attitude, all were in the lower
enthusiastic about math, if they half of the scale. Therefore, all
enjoy teaching math. of the 48 positive attitudes
would not be considered a
strong positive attitude. Of the
31 moderate attitudes, 30 were
within two standard deviations
of the positive/moderate split.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The curricular reasoning framework includes seven strands that were identified in the research that teachers reason
with as they make mathematical decisions during the teaching process. Identifying teachers’ mathematical decisions allowed
me to identify the ways in which PSTs reasoned about those decisions during the teaching process. Identifying the resources
PSTs’ draw on during their reasoning with these strands provides insight into the ways that PSTs reason

RECOMMENDATION
If the researcher were to complete this study again, there would be a few additions made to the process.
 The researcher would begin by gaining school wide permission from the principal to survey all of the
students in the school. This would increase the sample size, making the results more valid.
 It would also insure that more students who do not have a high level of success in the classroom are part of
the data as well.
 The researcher would also include a parental component to the study looking to see what the overall attitude
at home is toward math and how it is perceived.