Proportionality in the sixth and seventh grades in the Lebanese math curricula. (c2009)

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.