Thesis Title:   Learners’ Proficiency in Mathematical Language and their Conceptual Understanding of Mathematics in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya.

Student’s name: Vincent Nick Otuma Wesaya

Supervisors’ names:

1. Dr. Robert Kati
2. Dr. Duncan Wasike

ABSTRACT

Mathematics is considered a difficult school subject by majority of learners. For many students, mathematics is a series of hurdles and challenges-a task made with continued failure and seeming irrelevance in spite of the value that mathematics plays in society. Studies have investigated factors that contribute to low performance of mathematics but little research has been done on factors that influence understanding of mathematics concepts. This study explored learners ‘proficiency in mathematical language and their conceptual understanding of mathematics in secondary school in Bungoma County, Kenya. The study was premised on four objectives: to explore learners’ proficiency in lexical vocabulary and conceptual understanding of Mathematics concepts; to investigate learners’ proficiency in specialised vocabulary of mathematics and conceptual understanding of mathematics; to examine learners’ proficiency in mathematics vocabulary and conceptual understanding of mathematics; to investigate learners’ proficiency in technical language of mathematics and conceptual understanding of mathematics. The study drew on Vygotskian Socio-Cultural Theory (SCT) and used a multiple-case study design. The sample size of the study was 1353 participants comprising of 1339 form three learners and 14 mathematics teachers in Bungoma South sub-county. Stratified sampling was used to get schools while purposive sampling was used to obtain form three classes and their respective teachers. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interview schedules and questionnaires. Reliability of questionnaires (r>0.7) was tested by use of test-retest method while validity was enhanced by selecting test items from topics that students had learnt. Quantitative data were analysed by comparison of results between variables using Pearson’s correlation in a two tailed test with α =0.01 while qualitative data was analysed within cases and across cases to establish similarities and differences of individual cases. Themes arose from the analyses and assertions about the cases as a whole were made. The study found out positive correlation between variables across objectives as follows: (i) positive correlation of 0.720, 0.286 and 0.884 between lexical vocabulary and conceptual understanding in Sub-County, County and Extra-County Schools respectively; (ii) moderate correlation of 0.387, 0.598 and 0.774 between specialised vocabulary and conceptual understanding in Sub-County, County and Extra-County Schools respectively, and (iii) strong correlation of 0.798, 0.778 and 0.709 between mathematics words and conceptual understanding in Sub-County, County and Extra-County Schools respectively. Learners’ classroom talk was rare hence they didn’t have sufficient opportunity to interact with one another in the process of learning mathematics. The study concluded that proficiency in lexical vocabulary, specialised meanings of ordinary vocabulary and mathematics words have direct relationship with conceptual understanding of mathematics. The study recommended that: mathematical language should be integrated as a strand in secondary mathematics; in-service of mathematics teachers to sensitise them on pedagogical content knowledge in mathematical language in classrooms of second language learners so as to help learners learn mathematics for conceptual understanding and designers of educational media of mathematics should be keen to use mathematical language appropriately for learners to access mathematics concepts.