Alignment between senior phase mathematics content standards and numeric and geometric patterns' workbook activities

Abstract

Alignment between content standards, instruction, assessment and learning materials assists in achieving the intended content in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore the alignment between Senior Phase Mathematics Content Standards (SPMCS) and numeric and geometric patterns’ workbook activities. The problem was that teachers sometimes use the Department of Basic Education’s workbooks interchangeably with textbooks, while their purpose is to supplement textbooks and provide worksheets for the learners. The alignment status of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) senior phase mathematics’ workbooks could not be found in the literature. Mixed methods research and document analysis were employed to explore the status of alignment between SPMCS and DBE workbook activities on Numeric and Geometric Patterns (NGP). This was aimed at highlighting the status of alignment in terms of the content structure and the alignment indices through the use of alignment model of Webb (1997) and of Porter (2002).

The findings of this study revealed that the alignment between SPMCS and DBE workbook activities on NGP in terms of the categorical concurrence, depth of knowledge consistency and range of knowledge correspondence ranges from ‘acceptable’ to ‘full’ level of agreement. However, content beyond the scope of the content standards was found in Grade 7 and Grade 8 DBE workbook activities on NGP. The computed alignment indices for Grade 7, Grade 8 and Grade 9 range from moderate to strong alignment. Besides, weak and strong discrepancies were identified, which need to be addressed to improve the content structure of the DBE workbooks. This study recommends two alignment models to explore the alignment between educational components for comprehensive results and complementation. In addition, studies such as this should be conducted to enhance the quality in developing assessments in future.

KEY CONCEPTS Alignment; assessment; content standards; learning materials; workbooks; numeric patterns and geometric patterns.