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EXPLORING JAMAICAN MATHEMATICS PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, LEARNING EXPERIENCES, AND APPLICATION OF THE 5E CONSTRUCTIVIST MODEL
Edghill, Lamar Lafayette Enrico Delapenah
Edghill, Lamar Lafayette Enrico Delapenah
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Thesis/Dissertation
Date
2025-05
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Educational Leadership
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https://doi.org/10.34944/5d8w-7z69
Abstract
Jamaica in recent years has seen the migration of many of its mathematics teachers to other countries. This comes at a time when secondary mathematics performance in Jamaica is at an all-time low. In Jamaica, the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) remains a central focus, as the curriculum and its tenets lay the foundation for student engagement necessary for advancement in the 21st century. Teacher Training Institutions have the task of preparing teachers to engage all learners effectively. This includes preparing student-teachers to apply the 5E constructivist model during lesson delivery. The teacher migration coupled with the low mathematics performance at the secondary level has resulted in a greater reliance on Teacher Training Institutions to prepare pre-service mathematics teachers graduate ready and equipped to effectively administer the NSC. With a specific focus on mathematics teaching, there has been limited published research in Jamaica that explores pre-service teachers’ application of the 5E constructivist model. For this reason, this study explored the Jamaican mathematics preservice teachers’ current content knowledge, high school learning experiences, and their application of the 5E constructivist model. This study utilized a quantitative survey research design. In responding to the focus of the study, 99 preservice teachers in 2nd, 3rd or 4th years of their teacher education program from four Teacher Training Institutions in Jamaica participated in an online based survey that required them to complete a Mathematics Content Knowledge Assessment, a preservice teacher survey instrument divided into two parts: 1) Mathematics Experience Questionnaire, and 2) Teacher Program Effectiveness Questionnaire. The preservice teachers were also required to write a lesson plan using the 5E model. The findings of the study revealed that no direct significant relationships were found between the preservice teachers’ high school learning experiences and their current mathematical content knowledge. Conversely, it was revealed that the preservice teachers’ high school content knowledge was a direct significant predictor of their current mathematics content knowledge. It was also revealed that the preservice teachers with greater positive high school learning experiences had higher CSEC Mathematics passes. The preservice teacher's Mathematics Content Knowledge was revealed to have a positive significant statistical relationship with their application of the 5E Constructivist model as seen in their lesson plan scores. Finally, there was no evidence to suggest a statistical difference in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year preservice teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their teacher education programs related to Instruction and Professionalism. All three year groups had a positive outlook on their program concerning these two factors. Concerning their views of curriculum, there were significant differences as the 2nd year preservice teachers held a near-neutral position on the view that their teacher education program equips them with comprehensive knowledge of curriculum design, subject matter content, and alternative assessment practices necessary for effective teaching, while the 3rd and 4th year preservice teachers generally held a positive view. The findings of this study have the potential to contribute to the ongoing efforts to improve the quality of mathematics education in Jamaica. Two of the main implications are the need for conceptual teaching approaches to be applied at the high school to improve students’ performance and also the consideration for Teacher Training Institutions to use the 5E model when delivering mathematics courses to the preservice teachers in an effort to improve their appreciation and understanding of the approach.
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