Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge and the Teaching of Statistics in Secondary Schools in Wakiso District in Uganda

Abstract

Statistics is one of the most dynamic, rapidly growing and highly pertinent disciplines today and therefore, this study investigated teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the teaching of statistics in secondary schools in Wakiso District in Uganda. PCK was contextualized as teachers’ general knowledge, pedagogical knowledge (PK) and content knowledge (CK). The sample of the study consisted of 60 secondary school mathematics (statistics) teachers. Data sources were the self-administered questionnaire, document analysis (schemes of work and lesson plans), classroom observations and post-lesson interviews. While quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Linear Correlation Coefficients, qualitative data were analyzed using categorization and narratives. The findings of this study showed that there was no relationship between the teachers’ PCK and the teaching of statistics. Mathematics teachers teach statistics theoretically and the implication for practice is that a lot of training has to equip them with statistical knowledge. It was recommended that Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), teachers and researchers collaborate together to uplift the standards of teaching of statistics in the country.

Keywords: Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Statistics, Teaching, Uganda

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-25-10

Publication date:September 30^th 2019