Resumo

POURNARA, Craig  e  BOWIE, Lynn. What mathematics do Grade 7 learners take to high school in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic?. SAJCE [online]. 2023, vol.13, n.1, pp.1-11. ISSN 2223-7682.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v13i1.1239.

BACKGROUND: Poor mathematics performance in South Africa is well known. The COVID-19 pandemic was expected to exacerbate the situation. AIM: To investigate Grade 7 learners' mathematical knowledge at the end of primary school and to compare mathematical performance of Grade 7 and 8 learners in the context of the pandemic. SETTING: Data were collected in term four of 2020 at 11 primary schools and five secondary schools. All schools drew learners from poor communities in Gauteng. METHODS: A multiple-choice test covering mathematical content from Grades 4-7 was designed and piloted. Learner performance was measured through number of correct responses. Qualitative error analyses were conducted on learners' choices of distractors RESULTS: The difference in performance of the two grade groups was not statistically significant. There were similar response patterns in learners' choices of distractors with strong evidence of cue-based reasoning and evidence of additive reasoning in items requiring multiplicative reasoning. CONCLUSION: Grade 8 learners made very small gains, likely due to reduced learning time. Learner errors show many similarities with the international literature and show that Grade 7 learners are not yet ready for algebra. CONTRIBUTION: The findings provide starting points for addressing the most common errors and highlight the need for: greater attention to whole and rational number concepts in Grade 8; strategies for teacher support in teaching primary maths content; and innovative teaching strategies to fast-track learning of this content.

Palavras-chave : diagnostic assessment; error analysis; whole number reasoning; rational number reasoning; multiplicative reasoning.

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