Mathematics subject supervisors’ role in ensuring quality teaching in preprimary and primary schools

Abstract

Background: The need to examine mathematics subject supervisors’ roles in ensuring quality performance in mathematics learning is evident in the declining performance of learners in mathematics. This is attributed to various variables such as inadequate supervision, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate and obsolete resources, disillusioned teachers and poor pedagogical content knowledge. Hence, this study examines mathematics subject supervisors’ roles in ensuring quality teaching in preprimary and primary schools.

Aim: This study aimed to enhance subject supervisors’ role in ensuring quality teaching in preprimary and primary school mathematics.

Setting: Public preprimary and primary schools in the Owerri Educational Zone of Imo State, Nigeria, served as the research setting.

Methods: The research adopted the quantitative research method and a descriptive survey research design. Questionnaires were used as the instruments for data collection and were validated by experts in mathematics education. The instruments’ reliability coefficients of 0.83 and 0.78 were determined using the Cronbach’s alpha reliability method. The generated data were analysed using four-point Likert scales, means and standard deviations.

Results: The results showed that mathematics subject supervisors did enhance quality teaching in mathematics, although they were not effective in developing communities of practice among teachers. Furthermore, both mathematics teachers and mathematics subject supervisors faced challenges of inadequate learning resources, low teacher morale, insufficient professional development, low learner motivation for mathematics and poor learning infrastructure.

Conclusion: The researchers recommend developing a community of practice among teachers and organising competitions among learners as a panacea to enhance desirable qualities in preprimary and primary mathematics teaching.