A comparison of preferences for real-life situations that could be used in school mathematics in three SADC countries

Abstract

This article reports on a comparison of real-life situations which learners in three Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries would prefer to be used in school mathematics. The paper is based on data collected in these countries and uses an analytical tool, Rasch analysis, to review the results of these studies. The results of this analysis reveal that the young people in these countries share similar affective orientations with respect to certain real-life situations. The real-life situations that the learners in these countries prefer most are related to electronic gadgets and personal finance, whilst the items they are least interested in are issues relating to gambling and cultural practices. These results open the possibility of inter-country development and sharing of instructional resources based on real-life situations for use in mathematics. Furthermore, the results can usefully inform the designers of cross-country assessments on school mathematics, such as the SACMEQ, about appropriate real-life situations which appeal to learners that can be used in these comparative assessments.