ANALYZING GRADE 4 LEARNERS’ MATHEMATICS EXERCISE BOOKS IN PURSUIT OF QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION IN NAMIBIA

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study that focused on the state of grade 4 learners’ mathematics exercise books. Identification of challenges in mathematics learning in early grades presents the opportunity for early stakeholder intervention to improve the quality of basic education. The random sampling strategy was used by the subject teacher to select fifteen books from one class comprising 5 below-average, 5 average, and 5 above-average learners for analysis. The document analysis method was used to establish the status of learners’ written work, how well the work was written, and to establish their performance in mathematics. This study found that learners’ writing skills are underdeveloped, they have challenges pertaining to comprehension of instruction and challenges in learning specific mathematics topics. The quality of mathematics written work is generally neglected in school, as mathematics learning is perceived to be a process that focuses on the acquisition of facts. This study confirms that the quality of learners’ written work has received little attention from relevant stakeholders. The state of learners’ written work calls for immediate intervention to improve mathematics learning.