RELEVANT FEATURES AND READABILITY OF PRESCRIBED PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS IN REGION 1 AND 2 KOMBO OF THE GAMBIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58579/AJB-SDR/7.1.2025.77Keywords:
Students’ Engagement, Educational Policies, Teachers’ Perceptions, Readability, Mathematics TextbookAbstract
This study aims to examine the relevant features and readability of approved public senior secondary school mathematics textbooks in Regions 1 and 2 Kombo of The Gambia. The research is guided by three specific objectives: identifying teachers’ opinions on the quality of features in approved senior school mathematics textbooks, investigating teachers’ perspectives on the content and structure of the textbooks used for learning mathematics, and assessing students’ readability levels of the approved mathematics textbooks in public secondary schools.
A descriptive research design was adopted, utilizing descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, simple percentages, mean, and standard deviation to analyze demographic data and address the research questions. The study was conducted in government senior schools within Regions 1 and 2 Kombo, involving a total of 240 randomly selected Grade 11 students and 30 mathematics teachers. Three self-developed research instruments were employed - (SPPMTQ, 14 items, α = .65), (TPPMTS, 29 items, α = .84) and (CSPMTS, 20 items, α = .85).
The findings revealed that teachers have a strong perception of the structure and content of the mathematics textbooks used by students in public senior secondary schools in Regions 1 and 2 Kombo, as indicated by the average mean responses (X̅ = 2.73, Std = 0.844). However, the study also found a low level of students’ readability of the content in these textbooks, with an average mean response of (X̅ = 2.37, Std = 1.055). This suggests that while teachers recognize the textbooks' value, students struggle to effectively engage with their content.
Furthermore, the research indicates that students do not actively use mathematics textbooks for self-study or practice exercises. This lack of engagement hinders their ability to develop mathematical skills independently. To address this issue, the government and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) should periodically review and revise the prescribed Mathematics textbooks to ensure the content is current, relevant, accurate, and aligned with students’ cognitive levels and curriculum standards. Collaboration with subject matter experts should be encouraged to maintain the accuracy and reliability of content.
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