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Exploring the Challenges of Teaching Mathematics During the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Selected Rwandan Secondary Schools

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Mathematics Education in Africa

Abstract

The chapter discusses the challenges of teaching mathematics during the fourth industrial revolution in selected Rwandan secondary schools. The target population was all 328 ordinary and advanced mathematics teachers from three selected Eastern province districts: Kayonza, Rwamagana, and Gatsibo. A total of 109 mathematics teachers were randomly selected to participate in the study. A Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect data. The result revealed that lack of teaching and learning materials, abstractness nature of mathematics, lack of continuous professional development, poor motivation, time for planning and reluctance of students, and lack of technological tools are challenges teachers face in their work. Some potential solutions to those challenges were also highlighted by teachers, including the provision of mathematics competition, sufficient teaching and learning materials, continuous professional development for mathematics teachers, use of computational software, remedial course, and more exercises, a partnership between teachers, parents, and school administration. Furthermore, mathematics topics difficult to teach were also identified, including probability, indices and surds, inequalities, parallel and orthogonal projection, isometries, quadratic equation, inverse function, and circle theorem, trigonometry, differentiation, measures of dispersion, probability, logarithm and exponential, integration and complex number.

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Acknowledgement

Special thanks to the participated mathematics teachers for being generous to provide permission and their time for collecting data.

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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest exists.

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Iyamuremye, A., Nsabayezu, E., de Dieu Kwitonda, J., Habimana, C., Mukiza, J. (2022). Exploring the Challenges of Teaching Mathematics During the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Selected Rwandan Secondary Schools. In: Chirinda, B., Luneta, K., Uworwabayeho, A. (eds) Mathematics Education in Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13927-7_9

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