Abstract
The author of this thesis is a lecturer in Special Education in a teacher education institution in South Western Nigeria, and this research addresses problems which he has observed in the course of his practice with teachers of children with calculation operation skills difficulties. Some teachers were untrained and unprepared for the challenges they face when teaching young learners with calculation operation difficulties in mainstream classrooms. The research addressed this problem by carrying out a training intervention, validated by research evidence, to introduce new methods to teachers working in regular schools.
A multi-site case study was carried out in three schools, each in a different state in South Western Nigeria, making use of a qualitative methodology. The investigation was structured by Stake’s ‘countenance of education’ model, which provides a method for the evaluation of educational interventions.
The main findings of the research are that there is a gap between policy and practice in the support for learners with calculation operation difficulties in South-Western Nigeria. Two particular barriers to learning are identified. Firstly, the use of English in teaching learners with calculation operation difficulties is a problem for learners, and it is recommended that teachers should switch between the first languages of the learners and English, according to the pedagogic needs of the learner. The use of abstract teaching methods also hinders learners in acquiring calculation operation skills. The research shows that training can lead to changes in both the use of language and in the use of abstract methods.
Two additional findings are that the way that education is organized in Nigeria makes it very hard to obtain a clear picture of practice, and that the value of the Teaching Practice Analysis Report checklist, which is widely used in South Western Nigeria, should be reassessed.