Effectiveness of Teacher Training on Mathematics Achievement at Secondary Level

Abstract

The training is considered as one of the most crucial components in ensuring effective mathematics teaching in Nepal, but the impact of teacher training has not been found to be up to the desired level in teaching mathematics in our context. Many factors are said to be responsible for poor transfer of teacher training in the classroom delivery. With this premise in mind, this research was undertaken in order to find the effectiveness of training programme in teaching mathematics at secondary level and the current status of training transfer in the actual classrooms in the Government Schools of Morang District. In order to fulfill the objectives of the study, the researcher selected 50 community schools of Morang District. Among those schools, the researcher purposively selected 25 schools having trained teachers and 25 schools having untrained. Therefore 25 trained mathematics teachers and 25 untrained mathematics teachers were selected as sample. Similarly, final exams' marks of 140 students in mathematics from grade IX were taken to analyze in which 70 students were taught by trained teachers and 70 were taught by untrained teachers on the basis of stratified sampling. The design of this research study was survey. Two important research instruments viz. check list/classroom observation form and questionnaire were used to collect the required data from the teachers and the Head teachers. The mean, standard deviation, variance and two tailed Z-test were used to analyze the data collected through the final exam of the academic year 2070 and the data collected through the questionnaire and observation form were analyzed on percentage basis as well. In comparison of students' achievements in mathematics, it was found that the mathematics achievement of students taught by trained teachers was more significant than the students taught by untrained teachers. Finally, the researcher found that the secondary level mathematics teachers’ classes are effective and generally transformed their training skills in their classroom teaching. Lack of interest to prepare lesson plan for mathematics teaching, use of properly teaching materials for lesson, continuous evaluation system was seen poor. Knowledge of related subject, presenting subject matter in classroom teaching and using language were satisfactory but they were undecided about child psychology. Therefore, the whole study made the researcher able to conclude that the transfer of teacher training in secondary level mathematics classrooms is not in the satisfactory level. Finally, the researcher found that in Morang District, all the secondary level mathematics teachers' teaching learning activities were effective and generally transformed their training skills in their classroom teaching but the level of transformation was unsatisfactory. Lack of interest to prepare lesson plan for mathematics teaching, use of proper teaching materials for lesson, continuous evaluation system were seen poor. Knowledge of related subject, presenting subject matter in classroom teaching and using proper language were satisfactory but they were a bit confused about child psychology.