Abstract:
A relatively large number of sixth and seventh-grade school students have difficulty in
using their computational knowledge and conceptual understanding to solve real-life word
problems related to proportionality. The purpose of this study is to describe, analyze, and
evaluate the teaching/learning of proportionality in Lebanese schools for grades six and
seven. More specifically the study describes and analyzes the text material on
proportionality in the Lebanese math textbooks and teacher's manuals, as well as their
implementation in classrooms. This qualitative study was implemented in three schools in
Lebanon following the Lebanese curriculum. Participants included 12 sixth- grade
students, 12 seventh- grade students and six teachers, three for each grade level. Data were
collected through reviewing the national math curriculum, textbooks and teacher's manual
for grades six and seven, interviews with teachers regarding their approaches to teaching
proportionality, classroom observations to explore how teachers teach the topic and related
concepts, and clinical interviews with students to explore the techniques they use to solve
proportionality related problems and the difficulties they face while working to solve
them. The major findings of this study are as follows: Math teachers are guided by the
curriculum and textbook to implement a constructivist approach to math education. Some
teachers do indeed try to implement the techniques needed for this approach. At the same
time though, the reality is that several factors prevent teachers from achieving this goal.
Until the national textbooks are revised and modified in such a way they heed
requirements of a constructivist approach to teaching math in general, and proportionality
in particular, it is essential that schools provide supplementary and supporting materials
that correspond to the needs of math teachers in each grade level. In addition, clinical
interviews enabled the researcher to learn that students whose teachers are using
techniques recommended by the constructivist approach to teaching were able to obtain
better results when trying to solve proportionality problems. Moreover, it was
unexpectedly noticed that there is no major difference between schools with different
socioeconomic levels regarding the number of correct solutions obtained while solving
proportionality problems.
