Supplementary tuition in Mathematics: exploring the industry in the Eastern Cape

Abstract

This study explored and evaluated the prevalence of supplementary tuition in the teaching and learning of Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy in some high-performing schools of the East London district in the Eastern Cape. The study followed a descriptive survey design to address the research problem. Data were gathered using questionnaires for grade 11 learners and high school Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy teachers. The learners were the first group to be taught the Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy learning programme of the new National Curriculum Statement (NCS).

The results showed that a fair number of learners (about 48%) were not satisfied with their performance in Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy and a large number of the learners (about 90%) considered a good pass in Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy as important, particularly for their future careers. A substantial proportion of learners (42%) expressed concern about the amount of school time allocated to Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy, and thought that this factor hampered the successful completion of the syllabus. Teachers who happened to be adequately qualified and experienced enough, struggled to complete the Grade 11 Mathematics syllabus in time and were concerned about misconceptions carried from lower classes. Teachers also expressed some concern about learners' lack of commitment to Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy. Learners seemingly took supplementary tuition as a way of overcoming their learning challenges. Of the three forms of supplementary tuition (i.e. private tuition, vacation classes and revising model/former examination papers) commonly available in the district, revising examination papers was preferred (about 83%) followed by private tuition at 81% and lastly vacation school. Learners spent 1.67 hours per week on average on supplementary tuition. More Mathematics learners (about 34%) than Mathematical Literacy learners (about 6%) make use of supplementary tuition. Based on these findings, it was concluded that supplementary tuition is not unique to schools that perform poorly, and even at high performing schools, factors exist which influence learners to take supplementary tuition.