ASSESSING STUDENTS’ MATHEMATICAL COMMUNICATION:THE CASE OF WARDER SECONDARY AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL SOMALI REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the level and statusof students’ mathematical communication. It also aimed to find out and examine challenges faced students to communicate mathematically and teacher-student and student-student interactions. The study was conducted at Warder Zone warder Worda warder senior secondary and Preparatory school. Qualitative case study was carried out to address the research objectiveof this study.From the total 268 grade 11 and 12 students 134 students were selected for questionnaire and Purposeful sampling was used to select four Mathematics teacherswho are teaching at this school. Data were gathered using qualitative methods through personal observation, SRL surveyusing five likert scale questionnairesand interviews. NCTM mathematical communication indicators and the 13 Modification of Flanders’ Interaction Analysis Technique (FIAT)were used as instrument of data analysis. According to NCTM mathematical communication indicators, the result showed that indicators 1,2,3 and 4 was scored 1(developing indicators), indicators 5 and 6 was scored 0.5( some but not all of the expectation for rating ‘1’) and according to FIAS the result showed that teachers talk was greater than student talkproportion of time devoted to teacher talk, pupil talk, and silence and confusion 74.77%,19.997% and, 50.24% needs to be 70%, 19% , and 11 % , respectively. The findings of the present study seem to deviate immensely from the Flanders’ normative expectations. The greater proportion of teachers talk was devoted to lecturing. This is an indication of the prevalence of one way interaction, which is a typical of traditional classes. The high percentage of TRR is because of much time devoted to accepting feelings, accepting students’ idea andpraising. The results from SRL survey showed that most of students (33.4%) answered disagree (1). Through this research, it was also discovered that teachers perspectives on, and experiences with, mathematics and student discourse, student attitudes and abilities, external factors, time, and the strategies which teachers employ in their mathematics classrooms as ways to facilitate students’ mathematical communication, greatly affect the math talk which takes place within a classroom. On the basis of these findings,it can be inferred that there is poor students’ mathematical communicationand awareness should be created to teachers', school directors and other educational personnel about the importance of mathematical communication. Besides, teacher education programs should be arranged so that they can help trainees/ teachers acquire appropriate knowledge, strategies and skills of mathematical communication.