Secondary school mathematics teachers' use of students' learning styles when teaching functions: A case of Zimbabwean schools

Abstract

This paper reports on a research that was done to explore how ordinary level mathematics teachers used their knowledge of their students' learning styles when teaching functions. The study was carried out at eight secondary schools in the Makoni District of Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe. The schools were selected using stratified random sampling. Twenty-five mathematics teachers at the selected schools participated in the research. Data were obtained through face to face interviews and document analysis. The findings revealed that the mathematics teachers' teaching and assessment strategies were not based on their knowledge of their students' learning styles. Information and communication technology (ICT) and audio teaching aids were not used by most of the teachers. The researchers recommended that the mathematics teachers be in-serviced on the implications of students' learning styles for mathematics teaching. The teachers also needed some in-service training on how to use different forms of ICT in mathematics teaching.