Application Of Abagusii Cultural Practices Into Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics In Secondary Schools In Masaba North Sub-County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Every community has certain kind of mathematical knowledge which can be used in the formal mathematics curriculum. This study sought to investigate the application of Abagusii cultural practices into the teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools in Masaba North Sub-County, Kenya. The main objectives of the study were; to identify areas in Abagusii culture which use mathematical concepts, to find out whether both teachers and learners are aware of the applications of mathematical concepts in Abagusii culture, to establish the teachers’ opinion on transfer of learning from Abagusii culture to mathematics to support learning and finally to establish how teachers can integrate Abagusii cultural practices into the teaching and learning of mathematics. The study was based on constructivist theory by Jean Piaget and John Dewey. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Data was collected using Mathematics Teachers’ Questionnaire (MTQ) for teachers and Mathematics students’ Questionnaire (MSQ) for students. The target population included 86 teachers and 1741 form four students. Stratified random sampling was used to select six schools (19.35%) for the study. The strata were the divisions in the sub-county. From the six schools, purposive sampling was used to select 16 (19.36%) mathematics teachers and 274(15.72%) students. Piloting of instruments was done using split-half method followed by Spearman-Brown formula. The reliability of Mathematics Teachers’ Questionnaires was (0.70),and Students’ Mathematics Questionnaire (0.75). Reliability coefficient of 0.73 was obtained and considered to fulfill the required degree of consistency. Instrument validity was determined through appraisal by experts. Data collected was subjected to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for analysis. Statistical data was presented using frequency distribution tables and analysis used percentages. The study found out that Abagusii culture has mathematical concepts that can be used in teaching and learning of mathematics. Majority of the teachers and students are aware that Abagusii culture has mathematical concepts. Teachers also agreed to the integration of culture into the mathematics curriculum. The study recommended that curriculum developers and teachers should set up mathematical resource centers in every county. In these centers charts showing mathematical concepts can be illustrated. Equally, textbooks should use content from a culture based on students’ background.