A study of teachers' emphasis of the objectives of the grade six mathematics program

• Main Author: Fewer, Dennis
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1983
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/10487/; https://research.library.mun.ca/10487/1/Fewer_DennisWJ.pdf

The primary purpose of the study was to determine which mathematics objectives teachers emphasized at the grade six level in Newfoundland and Labrador elementary schools and to analyse the results in terms of basic skill areas defined by leading professional mathematics groups. A secondary purpose was to determine on which of the emphasized objectives teachers spent the most amount of instructional time and which areas of the curriculum were emphasized most. Also examined were the primary methods used by teachers to plan their mathematics program, the difference in emphasis between high and low cognitive level objectives, and the effect years of teaching experience had on the nature of objectives emphasized. -- Twenty school districts in Newfoundland and Labrador were selected at random and from these districts 120 grade six teachers were selected at random. The teachers were sent a questionnaire to collect data on the experience of the teacher and the primary method they used to plan their classroom program. The teachers were also requested to complete a 78 card sort in order to obtain data on the objectives that were emphasized during the 1981-82 school year. Each of the 78 cards contained a test item which represented an objective included in a grade six mathematics program. Complete sets of data were returned by 56 teachers. -- The four objectives most emphasized by grade six teachers in the sample dealt with skills used in computing with fractions. Other objectives involving fractions also were ranked highly by the teachers in the study. Computational types of objectives generally received high rankings, with division of whole numbers being ranked fifth. When the data were analyzed in terms of instructional time spent it was found that the most amount of instructional time was spent on operations with fractions, specifically subtraction, multiplication and division. Division of whole numbers was ranked fifth. -- With respect to high and low cognitive level items, a significantly higher degree of emphasis ...