Gender and Instructional Materials as a Correlate of Grade 6 Learners' Mathematics Performance in Buffalo City, South Africa

Abstract

Mathematics is the foundation for the economic and technological development of any nation. It has been asserted that Mathematics is expected to help in accelerating the socio-econo-techno progress of any society. The purpose of this paper is to find out the correlation between the utilization of instructional materials and Grade 6 learners' performance in Mathematics in Buffalo City. Despite the importance of Mathematics as the gateway to the world of science and technology, Mathematics is also regarded as the subject in which many learners underperform. The study adopted a correlational research design and a quantitative approach. The target population of this study was Grade 6 learners in the Buffalo City district. Stratified sampling was used to select 1225 Grade 6 learners. The findings showed that there is a significant relationship between the availability and utilization of instructional materials and Grade 6 learners' performance in Mathematics in Buffalo City (r = 0.999; p>0.05). There is no significant difference between gender and Grade 6 learners' Mathematics performance at Buffalo City (t = -.217, df = 1218, p>0.05). The mean difference between male learners ( =12.820, SD = 3.969) and female learners ( =12.872, SD=4.098) was negligible. It was observed that where materials are available, the management, selection, and effective use are lacking. It is recommended that teachers should not only be encouraged on the use of instructional materials but also be capacitated and guided on the effective use, management, improvisation, and selection of relevant and appropriate materials.

Learning Styles and Instructional Materials as Correlates of Grade 6 Learners`' Mathematics Performance in Buffalo City, South Africa

“…The regression outputs presented R 2 as .012(1.2%), and R=.110, which implies that the students learning styles, availability, and utilization of instructional materials accounted for 1.2% of the variance in learners' Mathematics performance at schools in Buffalo city. This is in line with Adu et al (2020), who opined that the significance of instructional materials cannot be overemphasized. The use of these materials with commensurate learning styles has a great deal in promoting or enhancing academic performance.…”

“…According to Adu and Duku (2021), a methodology is a process of selecting, reflecting on, analyzing, and justifying how a researcher wants to perform a research project. The research approach chosen for this paper is quantitative.…”

“…The direction of the relationship can be positive or negative, likewise significant and not significant. This design is very flexible (Adu & Duku, 2021).…”

“…can be used with the teacher's instruction and support. In addition to these educational tools, computer-assisted tools play an important role in improving mathematics achievement at all levels of schooling (Adu, & Duku, 2021). Textbooks are the most extensively used of all the written curriculum resources described above because they are most relevant and frequently used daily to teach mathematics and any other subject (Adu, 2018).…”

“…Learners perceive, interact with, and respond to their surroundings in unique ways. The characteristics and personalities presented by their students, as well as the variances in their students' learning styles, must be the priority of the teachers, such characteristics and personalities can go a long way in assisting the teacher and make classroom activities more meaningful and more interactive (Adu et al, 2020). In addition, since the needs of the learners are different, the knowledge of learners' characteristics will assist the teacher to set up the classroom.…”