GENERAL INTRODUCTION

GENERAL I NTRODUCTI ON
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The aim of this study was to investigate upon the reevan!e of using role play in the
teaching and learning of selected topics in Economics at form IV leel in a private
se!ondary s!hoo situated in the south" The students were girs aged #etween $%&$'
years"
(oowing daiy o#servation of the students during !asses of E!onomi!s !ouped with
their poor performan!e in the first term assessments) the investigator has !ome to reaise
that these students were not en!ouraged to deveop sound *nowedge and understanding
as we as !apa#iity for anaysis and !riti!a thin*ing of whatever was earned during
!assroom intera!tion"
An A!tion Resear!h was !ondu!ted using Role !lay) the identified strategy in order to
test how far the strategy is appropriate in #ringing positive !hange in the tea!hing and
earning pro!ess of the see!ted topi!s" (or the purpose of the study) a mi+ of #oth
,uaitative and ,uantitative resear!h methodoogy was used" The Resear!h Cy!es were
!ondu!ted with $- mi+ed&a#iity students using data gathering instruments namey an
"#seration $rid) the Students% &ritten Test and a Students% 'uestionnaire"
An anaysis of the findings has shown that the use of Roe pay in the tea!hing and
earning of see!ted topi!s has ed to improvement in students. performan!es" In fa!t)
students parti!ipated a!tivey in the earning of the topi!s see!ted and there was rea
enthusiasm among them as to the roes assigned to ea!h" This !onnotes that a!tive
parti!ipation of students is essentia for effe!tive tea!hing and earning" It is therefore
re!ommended that a !om#ination of strategies shoud #e adopted so as provide
opportunities to the students to wor* a!!ording to their profies) a#iities and !apa#iities"
$
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
A C"(STRUCTIVIST VIE& ") E*UCATI"(
The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things,
not simply of repeating what other generations have done - men who are creative,
inventive and discoverers (Piaget J., 1923)
/iaget remains the father of !onstru!tivism) and has provided the foundation for modern
!onstru!tivist theory" /iaget #eieved that inteigen!e !onsists of two interreated
pro!esses) organisation and adaptation" /eope organise their thoughts so that they ma*e
sense) separating ones that are important from ones that are not) as we as !onne!ting
mutipe ideas together" 0imutaneousy) peope adapt their thin*ing to in!ude new ideas)
as new e+perien!es provide additiona information"
Constru!tivism is a famiiar word to most mem#ers of the s!ien!e edu!ation !ommunity
+Caine et al,- .//.0 Camp#ell- 12230 Illman- 12234" Constru!tivist theorists #eieve
students improve their !riti!a thin*ing and pro#em soving s*is when they !onstru!t
new *nowedge #ased on #a!*ground e+perien!es and mutipe resour!es +!rice- 12254"
0tudents !onstru!t *nowedge independenty or as part of a so!ia unit" They thin*
!riti!ay when they !om#ine #a!*ground *nowedge) independent resear!h and
!assroom presentations to #uid their e+isting s!hema) and e+pand the foundation of their
*nowedge +Maypole and *aies- .//14" Constru!tivists see earning as a pro!ess of
a!tivey e+poring information and !onstru!ting meaning #y in*ing it to previous
*nowedge and e+perien!e +Alesandrini and 6arson- .//.4"
It is a fa!t that students. engagement and motivation are !riti!a to sustained
understanding" 0imuations provide powerfu new opportunities for earning"
0imuations provide earners the opportunity to mode) e+pore) and try out a variety of
strategies" Roe paying is a earning e+perien!e where students !oa#orativey invent)
e+periment) and pra!ti!e interpersona s*is in a reativey ow&ris* environment"
1
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
T7E STATEME(T ") T7E !R"86EM
This e+perimenta resear!h is signifi!ant in the !onte+t of the tea!her&resear!her.s s!hoo
where it was o#served that in a !ass of (orm I2) students had under&performed in the $
st
term e+aminations in E!onomi!s" In fa!t) ony %34 of the students managed to s!ore
a#ove -3 mar*s" It was a matter of great !on!ern as effe!tive tea!hing and earning had
not ta*en pa!e"
Anderman 9 Midgley +12234 righty !aim that students are more engaged in earning
when they are a!tive and have some !hoi!e as we as !ontro over the earning pro!ess"
To this end) this !oud e+pain why those students were not engaged propery in the
tea!hing and earning pro!ess as they were not given the opportunity to intera!t in !ass"
Thus) they were not motivated to put ma+imum efforts in what they were doing" One
possi#e reason might #e attri#uted to the fa!t that the e+pository method was mosty
used due to the oaded sya#us whi!h the tea!her had to !ompete #efore the
e+aminations are s!hedued" 5owever) it must #e noted that athough the e+pository
method is sti #eing e+tensivey used in everyday tea!hing) it is the responsi#iity of
pra!ti!ing tea!hers to adopt a medey of strategies in order to promote effe!tive tea!hing
and earning and to ma*e this pro!ess more interesting for #oth the students and the
tea!her"
6oreover) it has #een o#served that students are not provided with earning opportunities
to deveop !umuative s*is ne!essary for s!affoding +Vygots:y4 of !on!epts and
generaisation at upper forms" Ade7uate understanding of reevant !on!epts and issues)
!ouped with the deveopment of interpretive and anayti!a s*is need to #e enhan!ed
whie at the same time *eeping an eye of the s!ope and se7uen!e of the su#8e!t area"
Tea!hing strategies usuay used #y most tea!hers do not deveop enough motivation in
students" Tea!hing strategies have to #e revisited" A ot of methodoogies have emerged
wherein learner-centeredness o!!upy the !entre stage"
9
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
AIM A(* "8;ECTIVES ") T7E RESEARC7
AI6 O( T5E RE0EARC5
The aim of the resear!h is to show whether the use of roe pay as a tea!hing strategy is
effe!tive and !oud #e maintained in the spe!ifi! situation it woud #e impemented that is
a (orm I2 !ass of a private se!ondary s!hoo in the south) parti!uary in the tea!hing
and earning of E!onomi!s"
RE0EARC5 O:;ECTI2E0<
As a refe!tive pra!titioner) the pra!ti!ing tea!her shoud aim at s!affoding and hep
promote a!tive earning among students"
The o#8e!tives of the resear!h woud #e as foows<&
$= To show that the use of Roe pay as a tea!hing strategy !an enhan!e the tea!hing
and earning of E!onomi!s at (orm I2 eve"
1= To evauate the impa!t of Roe pay as a tea!hing strategy on student earning"
9= To show whether ow a!hievers !oud improve their performan!e as a resut of
using this new te!hni7ue in !ass"
%= To demonstrate that Roe /ay !oud #e a powerfu too in motivating students to
earn #etter"
-= To assess the improvement in earning through the use of Roe /aying strategy"
RATI"(A6E ") T7E RESEARC7
E!onomi!s is very important in daiy ife" The purpose of tea!hing E!onomi!s in
se!ondary s!hoos as part of training for !iti>enship is to ma*e pupis a!7uainted with
fa!ts and figures of #oth the so!ia and e!onomi! word in whi!h they are fun!tioning"
?ith the ongoing shrin*ing #arriers) the word is #e!oming a go#a viage and the term
!iti>enship is assuming a new dimension" /upis !an understand the !auses of war)
famine) emigration and so!ia movements and reate them to e!onomi! issues"
%
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Unfortunatey) most E!onomi!s tea!hers have the tenden!y to resove to traditiona
pra!ti!es" The genera #eief is that earning shoud #e !onfined within the four was of
the !assroom"
The tea!her&resear!her #eing a pra!ti!ing se!ondary s!hoo tea!her is 7uite aware of the
new trends) needs and e+pe!tations of students at !assroom eve" Conse7uenty) the
tea!her.s de!ision to use an A!tion Resear!h is to assess how far the proposed pan wi
#e su!!essfu in appying an innovative approa!h in the tea!hing of E!onomi!s at (orm
I2 eve and paving the way ahead to meet the re7uirements of E!onomi!s at 0!hoo
Certifi!ate Leve"
RESEARC7 MET7"*S
(or the proposed resear!h) an A!tion Resear!h approa!h in terms of tea!her&resear!her
type +Calhoun E- 122<4 as we as an interpretive perspe!tive wi #e adopted" The
mode A!tion Resear!h adopted woud #e that of 6e=in- > +12?@4" Lesson pans woud
#e designed on see!ted topi!s using Roe /ay as strategy" At the end of ea!h !y!e) the
students wi #e assessed through a written test" An O#servation Grid woud #e fied #y
the tea!her&resear!her as we as the neutra o#server throughout the three !y!es to
!oe!t data in reation to their intera!tion during the tea!hing and earning of the see!ted
topi!s using the identified strategy" At the end of !y!e three) a 7uestionnaire wi #e
issued to the students to o#tain their views on and attitudes towards the strategy used"
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GENERAL INTRODUCTION
RESEARC7 7Y!"T7ESIS
)or the sa:e of this Action Research- the hypothesis is A
That the use of Roe pay as a earner&!entered strategy in the tea!hing and earning of
see!ted topi!s in E!onomi!s at (orm I2 eve wi prove effe!tive in ena#ing students to
understand in&#uit !on!epts and ideas"
RESEARC7 'UESTI"(S
In the ight of the Resear!h proposa) the foowing 7uestions have #een designed with a
view to guide the investigator to underta*e we !a!uated measures su!h that the @end in
ie= #ecomes clearer"A +Miles and 7u#erman- 122?4"
The foowing resear!h 7uestions have #een formuated<
To what e+tent wi the use of Roe pay as a tea!hing strategy enhan!e the tea!hing
and earning of E!onomi!s at (orm I2 eveB
5ow far wi the use of Roe pay #ring a#out a !hange on student earningB
To what e+tent wi ow a!hieving students improve their performan!e through the
use of Roe /ayB
To what e+tent Roe /ay !oud #e a powerfu too in motivating students to earn
#etterB
5ow far wi the use of Roe pay #ring an improvement in earningB
'
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
SI$(I)ICA(CE ") T7E RESEARC7
The out!omes of the resear!h wi #e #enefi!ia to the various sta*ehoders in the
!ommunity as a whoe"
Teachers and Colleagues of the teacherBresearcher%s school as =ell as those in other
priate and state secondary schools
:y varying the tea!hing stye) the tea!her finds variety that eads to ess monotony and to
in!reased motivation C utimatey to 8o# satisfa!tion" Through this resear!h) tea!hers wi
#enefit as they wi *now how Roe pay !an #e used as a strategy in order to hep
students perform #etter" Conse7uenty) the tea!hing and earning pro!ess wi #e!ome
more effe!tive" The su!!essfu impementation of roe pay !oud #ring further
dis!ussions among tea!hers in the use of this te!hni7ue in other su#8e!ts"

Students
No dou#t) students woud #e the utimate winners as this wi enhan!e their earning and
!ause mar*ed improvement in their performan!e" 0tudents wi earn to transfer their
*nowedge in different !onte+t in order to ma*e sense of the !ompe+ e!onomi! word" If
the te!hni7ue produ!ed positive resuts) it !oud ma*e students #e!ome more responsi#e)
independent) dynami!) !onfident and motivated"
The School
?hen pupis perform #etter in a parti!uar s!hoo) the eve of a!hievement #oth in the
a!ademi! and so!ia sense is raised in terms of per!entage and grade" This wi !reate a
feeing of trust in parents and raise the goodwi of the s!hoo"

Mauritius Institute of Education
The fina pie!e of wor* wi thus remain as a sour!e of referen!e to trainee tea!hers and
tea!hers&to&#e) there#y showing that the institution.s goas have #een rea!hed" 6oreover)
it wi #e a positive signa that the !uture of resear!h is present among tea!hers"
D
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
6IMITATI"(S A(* *E6IMITATI"(S
Two parameters are the esta#ished #oundaries of the study" These are imitations and
deimitations" The study wi #e !ondu!ted ony with the (orm I2 students !omprising
$- students Egirs= at the tea!her&resear!her.s s!hoo" The study wi #e underta*en
during the se!ond term of the a!ademi! year 133F"
The study does not !aim to have any generaisation as yet"
F
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
T7E RESEARC7 !R";ECT I( A (UTS7E66
The Resear!h /roposa opens with a $eneral Introduction foowed #y fie chapters"

Chapter "ne emphasises on the position of E!onomi!s edu!ation in the s!hoo
!urri!uum and its aims and o#8e!tives" This !hapter aso outines the performan!e of O&
eve students for the past years at nationa eve" In addition) it gives an overview of the
performan!e of students in the s!hoo where the tea!her&resear!her is presenty wor*ing"
Chapter T=o highights the iterature on Roe pay as a tea!hing strategy E0u#stantive
Review= and its appi!ation in the tea!hing and earning pro!ess EEmpiri!a Review="
Theories and 6odes on A!tion Resear!h are aso presented"
Chapter Three deineates the resear!h methodoogy with essentia !omponents su!h as
samping) data !oe!tion methods and impementation of the different essons throughout
the three !y!es of the a!tion resear!h"
Chapter )our presents the resuts and anaysis of findings during the three !y!es of the
a!tion resear!h" Ta#es and !harts are aso in!orporated to give a vivid pi!ture of the
resuting situation"
Chapter )ie presents the overa !on!usion of the study foowed #y its imitations and
re!ommendations"
G