Connecting Mathematics and Physics at High School Level in Zambia: Focusing on Context-dependency in Function
2013 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 37-46
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2013 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 37-46
In most of the developing countries， it is recognized that the connection between mathematics and science should be emphasized in education in order for them to industrialize. However， pupils often fail to connect these two subjects by themselves. This phenomenon is known as contextdependency. The objective of this study is to clarify context dependency between mathematics and science in the case of function at high school level in Zambia.
One hundred sixty five pupils in Grade 12 at a girls’ high school in Zambia were chosen for this research. The research was conducted by using the same two types of tests about functions， providing different contexts between physics and mathematics. Contextdependency was studied through pupils’ used solving methods and interview answers, as well as by using chisquare test.
The results showed that more pupils got correct answers in the question to find pattern from the table in the physics context. Many pupils noticed horizontal relations in the physics context and vertical relations in the mathematics context. When the interviewer explained the situation by using the physics context， they noticed more relations. On the other hand， more pupils answered correctly the question to find the unknown value from the table in the mathematics context. Most of the pupils noticed similarity between the physics test and the mathematics test. With instruction from the interviewer， pupils were able to use mathematics formula in the physics context.
It was found that these pupils had difficulty finding patterns in the mathematical context while the physics context helped them understand. They had difficulty finding unknown values in the physics context and the mathematics formula helped them to find the answer. However, challenge for clarifying the relations between mathematical connection with other subjects and characteristic of subjects and the relations between context dependency and mathematical connection with other subjects were also pointed out.
