Everyday Mathematics in Ethiopia: The Case of the Khimra People
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Date
2015-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
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
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Keywords
Everyday Mathematics in Ethiopia