Abstract:
The study investigated the effect of constructivism on teacher-trainees’ performance
in mathematics at the colleges of education. A purposive sampling technique was
used to select the Volta Region and three colleges of education from the region.
Furthermore, a convenient sampling technique was adopted to select six hundred and
forty-one (641) 2019/2020 third-year teacher-trainees from the three colleges. The
instrument used for the collection of data was carefully developed and structured from
reviewed literature to measure CA, IC, PUFM and CGI as basis to determine
constructivism. The instrument was validated and found to be reliable when factor
analysis was conducted using the principal component analysis method. The binomial
test, descriptive statistics analysis and composite scores of the mean likert-scale
response indicated that instructional coherence which supported constructivist theory
of learning was mostly used among the studied instructional strategies by the college
tutors to support teacher-trainees mathematics learning. The indication was that
tutors’ use of instructional coherence instruction guaranteed constructivist theory
which is a solid foundation to teacher-trainees’ performance in mathematics at the
colleges of education. Finally, partial least squares-structural equation modelling
(PLS-SEM) results revealed that CGI had the highest path coefficient (𝛽 =-0.161) as
the major construct affecting TTP and IC as the highest path model value of 𝛽 =0.302
affecting CONST.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Mathematics Education,
Faculty of Science Education, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
(Mathematics Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
January, 2021
