Browsing by Author "Reddu, Hilluf"

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    Everyday Mathematics in Ethiopia: The Case of the Khimra People
    (Addis Ababa University, 2015-06) Reddu, Hilluf; Yimer, Asmamaw
    The issue of connecting school mathematics contents and instruction to the learners’ socio-cultural and real life context is increasingly attracting the attention of educational practitioners including teachers and students themselves. The overall aim of the current study was to investigate the everyday mathematical practice and the issue of connecting in-and out-of-school mathematical practices. Guided by the desire of adding empirical knowledge, the present study examined this issue in one of Ethiopia’s ethnic groups, the Khimra people. The study was conducted in eight workplaces, two games, and two schools selected purposively. Twenty five informants were purposively selected from these workplaces, games, and schools. The study used a qualitative multiple (embedded) case study design to address the problem of connecting workplace and school mathematical practices that the current literature in Ethiopia does not adequately cover. Data obtained from interviews, field notes, classroom and workplace observations, and documents were analyzed and discussed using Saxe’s (1991) analytical framework. The results demonstrated that people engaged in workplaces outside school use mathematical ideas, concepts and procedures in their real life activities. Interviews with and observations of participants in workplaces showed that the nature and activity structure of a given work leads to a particular mathematical practice and this mathematical activity helps the successful accomplishment of the work. Moreover, the findings showed that in- and out-ofschool mathematical practices can interplay to enhance the process and means of achieving the goals of one another. However, this potential interplay is not researched and recognized by educational practitioners such as teachers. Therefore, it is possible to claim that learning and understanding of mathematical concepts by students can be enhanced by the positive interaction between the in- and out-of-school mathematical practices. The implication of these findings is that understanding the out-of-school mathematical practices and their roles in improving school mathematics instruction is useful to inform larger policy goals about the importance of contextualizing mathematics curriculum and instruction. The challenges mentioned by teacher participants also imply that teacher training colleges need to give attention to this issue to inform their trainees and future teachers about the importance of contextualizing mathematics instruction