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Believing in Your Own Abilities: What Namibian High School Students Experiencing Mathematics Difficulties Can Teach Us

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Abstract

In this paper, we explore beliefs about teaching and learning held by 27 Namibian 11th graders (ages 16 to 18) experiencing difficulties in learning mathematics. Namibia’s education system and its people’s access to mathematics has suffered throughout years of colonization and apartheid. Namibia has made significant strides to create access and improve learning experiences. Its complex history provides a powerful context for exploring the beliefs and experiences of learners who persist despite experiencing difficulties. This research focuses specifically on learners experiencing mathematical difficulties, as the equity concerns of mathematics for these students are exacerbated through their experienced difficulties. While research on beliefs in mathematics education has been steadily growing, scant research has been conducted on the beliefs of learners experiencing persistent mathematics difficulties. Mathematics is recognized as a barrier to accessing higher education opportunities, and this research makes an important contribution to understanding the beliefs and resilience of Namibian learners experiencing mathematics difficulties. Understanding the beliefs and experiences of learners who continue to persist through their experienced difficulties can provide important insight into how to help and support all learners. The participants in this study shared their beliefs regarding experiences that would help them persist in their mathematics learning and their beliefs regarding systemic aspects of the Namibian schooling system.

Résumé

Dans cet article, nous nous intéressons aux croyances sur l’enseignement et l’apprentissage de 27 élèves namibiens de 11e année (âgés de 16 à 18 ans) qui éprouvent des difficultés à assimiler les mathématiques. Le système d’éducation de la Namibie et la possibilité donnée à sa population d’avoir accès aux mathématiques ont subi les conséquences néfastes d’années de colonisation et d’apartheid. La Namibie a fait des progrès considérables pour créer un accès et améliorer les expériences d’apprentissage. L’histoire complexe du pays fournit un contexte puissant pour explorer les croyances et les expériences des apprenants qui persévèrent malgré les épreuves auxquelles ils font face. Dans cette étude, nous nous attardons plus précisément aux apprenants qui connaissent des ennuis en mathématiques, alors que les préoccupations pour ces élèves en matière d’équité dans le domaine des mathématiques sont exacerbées par les embûches rencontrées. Bien que la recherche portant sur les croyances dans l’enseignement des mathématiques se soit développée de façon constante, il existe peu d’études sur les croyances des apprenants qui connaissent des difficultés persistantes en mathématiques. On reconnait que les mathématiques représentent un obstacle dans l’accès à l’enseignement supérieur, et cette étude apporte une contribution importante dans la démarche de compréhension des croyances et de la résilience des apprenants namibiens qui peinent en mathématiques. Le fait de comprendre les croyances et les expériences des apprenants qui persévèrent en surmontant les défis rencontrés peut apporter des informations importantes sur la façon d’aider et de soutenir tous les apprenants. Les participants à cette étude ont partagé leurs croyances concernant les expériences qui les aideraient à persévérer dans leur apprentissage des mathématiques et leurs opinions en ce qui a trait aux aspects systémiques du système scolaire namibien.

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This study was financially supported by the Namibian Commission on Research Science and Technology in collaboration with the University of Turku Graduate School.

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  1. University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Shemunyenge Taleiko Hamukwaya

  2. Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

    Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen

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Hamukwaya, S.T., Ruttenberg-Rozen, R. Believing in Your Own Abilities: What Namibian High School Students Experiencing Mathematics Difficulties Can Teach Us. Can. J. Sci. Math. Techn. Educ. 22, 739–757 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-023-00260-7

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