St. Joseph's College of Education for Women,

Vol. 11 No. 1 July 2017

St. Joseph’s College of Education for Women,Autonomous, NAAC ‘A’

GUNTUR

ISSN 2319 - 3018

About our College

The Society of Jesus, Mary, Joseph is one of the international Congregations in the Roman

Catholic Church. Rev. Fr. Mathias Wolff, S. J. founded the Society in 1822 in Holland for the

noble cause of furthering the cause of education of women. The Society of JMJ since its inception

in India in 1904 by Seven Dutch Sisters has been focussing on educational, medical, social, and

community development and today it has a nation wide network of Schools, Junior / Degree /

P. G. Colleges, Hospitals, Schools of Nursing, Colleges of Nursing, Community Colleges, Technical

Colleges and a College of Education.

St. Joseph's College of Education for Women, an aided Christian minority institution had

its humble beginnings on the 1st July 1946, with just 12 students on rolls with Rev. Sr. Stanislaus

Swamikannu as the founder principal. It was the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh, meant solely

for the training of women graduates and post-graduates of all creeds and communities. Hence

the month of July 1946 goes into the annals of the history of Education, of Guntur, then, in the

Composite Madras State. The College was opened to meet the felt needs of the time, for more

women graduate teachers in secondary girls' schools. The College offering D.Ed., B.Ed. and

M.Ed. Programmes is now an autonomous college under the jurisidiction of Acharya Nagarjuna

University, Nagarjuna Nagar, Guntur.

OUR MOTTO : Love, Joy and Service

OUR MISSION

v To empower women, specially the poor and the downtrodden through quality education.

v To prepare teachers with emotional integrity, intellectual ability, high moral standards and

social commitment.

v To mould teachers for giving a global vision to future citizens.

v To impart training for the development of the 4 D's - Discipline, Dedication, Devotion, and

Duty mindedness and the coordination of the 3 H's - Head, Heart and Hand.

OUR VISION

v To develop the College into a Centre for Excellence.

v To stabilize as a Resource Center for schools and Colleges of Education.

v To grow into an exemplary seat of higher learning.

v To strive to render selfless service to the society.

OUR HIGHLIGHTS

v The intake of the College is 200 in B.Ed., 30 in M.Ed. and 50 in D.Ed.

v The College is a recognized Research Centre for Education.

v The college has been accredited with ‘A’ by NAAC in 2012.

v Autonomous Status has been reconferred on the College by the University Grants

Commission, New Delhi, in the year 2012.

Journal of Educational Endeavours

Vol. 11. No. 1. July 2017

Published by

Dr. Sr. G. TheresammaCorrespondent,

St. Joseph’s College of Education for Women

(Autonomous), Sambasiva Pet, Guntur - 1. (A. P.)

Editorial Board

Dr. T. Swarupa Rani - Editor in ChiefPrincipal

St. Joseph’s College of Education for Women.

Dr. D. Vijaya Bharathi - EditorReader in Philosophy, SJCE.

Dr. T. J. Rajendra PrasadFormer Dean, Faculty of Education,

Acharya Nagarjuna University.

Dr. G. Aruna MohanFormer Reader in Psychology, SJCE

Dr. M. VanajaAssociate Professor, Dept. of Education & Training

Moulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad.

Dr. C. Grace IndiraAssociate Professor in English, SJCE.

Sr. P. Santha KumariLecturer in Psychology, SJCE.

Dr. J. R. PriyadarsiniAssociate Professor in Mathematics, SJCE.

The views expressed in the articles are the individual

opinions of the authors and they, in no way, represent

the opinion of the publisher of Journal of

Educational Endeavours.

Printed at :

Prajavani Graphics, Guntur. ✆ 9848621063.

Editorial

Concentration is a preceless gift. Without

wasting one’s energy one can become more

energetic through simple concentration. Life, as

of today, especially for the young students has

become very complex, competitive and confusing.

The young need a lot of clarity of mind in order to

compromise, co-operate and co-exist in the society.

This is most essential for corporate living. Here,

each individual is important, and, together all

are important. To be able to live a life of satisfaction

and fulfillment, each individual should be

complete. This is possible when the mind is

undisturbed. The mind could be helped to

withstand the many disturbances it faces each

day, by making it strong. The way to make the

mind strong, stable, open and illumined is

through concentration.

-- Vijaya Bharathi

Journal of Educational Endeavours

Vol. 11. No. 1. July 2017

Contents

S.

No. Article Author P. No.

1. Awareness of the Effects of Deforestation in

Secondary School Pupils D. Bhagya Lakshmi 1 - 13

2. Mind Maths and Finger Maths Sr. T. A. F. Chandra 14 - 17

3. Teaching Aptitude of Prospective Teachers Dr. C. Grace Indira

Smt. G. Bhavani 18 - 23

4. Perception of In-service Teachers about the Poonam Kumari

IGNOU Workshop Dr. T. Swarupa Rani 24 -30

5. Women Writers on Caste, Religion and Region

in Andhra Pradesh P. Babitha 31 - 36

6. Education - A Key to Values Dr. B. Srilatha 37 - 42

7. Problem-solving Ability of the Upper Primary Pupils

in Mathematics in Relation to their Achievement T. Subhashini 43 - 50

8. Scientific Attitude of Secondary School Pupils P. Prasanthi Madhuri Latha

Dr. C. Grace Indira 51 - 58

Journal of Educational Endeavours, July, 20171

AWARENESS OF THE EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION

IN SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS

D. Bhagya LakshmiResearch Scholar, ANU

Introduction

The world wide Forest Report found that when the Roman empire was in control of

Europe 90% of the continent was forested. Today 5,00,000 hectors vanish in a single week .

There is no one easy answer as there are many causes at the root of deforestation. One is over

population in cities and developing countries. In attempts to settle farmland, the poor become

“shifted cultivators” and resort to using slash and burn methods of tree removal. Slashing and

burning involves , trees are cut down and the remains are burned. The ash is used as a fertilizer

and the land is then used for farming or cattle grazing, however, the soil that is cleared in slash and

burn is left infertile, the nutrients in the soil are quickly absorbed by surrounding organisms . the

farmer must move on sometimes to other areas and repeat this process and worthy land and trees

become scarce.

Need of the Study

Both from the point of Ecology and economy forests are considered to be an important

part of our national wealth. But it has been observed that the continuous growth of population

and the greed of the present man’s short sighted and unplanned communication and subsistence

gathering activities like indiscriminate lumbering, charcoal burning, forewing collection, overgrazing

and jhooming type of cultivation and annual forest fires have been causing considerable damage

to forest wealth system in our country. As a result, the most valuable deciduous monsoon forests

in India have been degenerated and degraded into those bushes, open shrubs, dry meadows and

to worst extent converted into barren unproductive lands. The maintenance of ecological balance

is one of the most important considerations and it is to be looked into very seriously. To alleviate

this serious concern, the development of different kinds of forests on war foot lines is an important

means at this end.

Title of the Study

“Awareness of the effects of deforestation in Secondary School Pupils”

Deforestation: The act of cutting down trees in an area.

Awareness: Understanding of the subject, issue, or situation.

St. Joseph’s College of Education for Women, Guntur

2

Secondary School Pupils: A student who is in the intermediate in level, between elementary

school and college.

Objectives of the Study

The following objectives were formulated for the study.

1. To know the awareness of the Secondary school pupils of deforestation and to classify

them.

2. To know the awareness of the Secondary school pupils of the causes and effects of

deforestation.

3. To know the awareness of the Secondary school pupils of the impact of deforestation on

Bio- diversity.

Variables of the Study

For the purpose of verification of Objectives formulated the following variables were

considered.

Gender : Boy / Girl

Area : Urban /Rural

Type of School : Govt / Private

Hypotheses of the Study

1. There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of secondary school boys and girls on

deforestation.

2. There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of Urban and Rural secondary

school pupils on deforestation.

3. There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of Government and Private secondary

school pupils of deforestation.

4. There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of boys and girls secondary school of

the causes and effects of deforestation.

5. There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of Urban and Rural secondary

school pupils of the causes and effects of deforestation.


school pupils of the causes and effects of deforestation.

7. There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of secondary school boys and girls of

the impact of deforestation on bio-diversity.


8. There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of Urban and Rural secondary school

pupils of the impact of deforestation on bio-diversity.


school pupils of the impact of deforestation on bio-diversity.

Sample and Sampling

For the present study the investigator had taken 200 Secondary school pupils in Krishna

District.

Methodology

In the present study survey cum descriptive method was used. It is essentially cross

sectional.

Tool Used in the Study

Tool selected for this study was the check test considered as an appropriate tool such a

study.

Statistical Techniques Used

Mean, % of Mean, Standard deviation,’t’ value were computed.

Limitations of the Study

1. The Study was confined to 200 Secondary school pupils.

2. It is confined to Krishna District only.

Analysis and Interpratation

Objective-1 : To know the awareness of Secondary school pupils on deforestation

and to classify them.

Table - 1

Mean and S.D Skewness and Kurtosis of the Whole Sample

Sample No Mean % of Mean SD Kurtosis Skewness

Whole 200 75.01 83.34 2.14 1.75 0.248

Observation

1. Awareness of deforestation of 200 Secondary school pupils was found to be 83.34, standard

deviation 2.14.


4

2. Skewness was 1.75 which was found to be positive.

3. Kurtosis was 0.248 which was leptokurtic in nature.

Interpretation

From the above table, it can be seen that the % of mean was found to be high. It implies

that the secondary school children are having good awareness of deforestation.

Objective 2

To know the awareness of Secondary school pupils of deforestation.

Hypothesis 1

There exists no significant difference between boys and girls of secondary school in their

awareness of deforestation.

Table 2

Mean, Percentage of Mean, S.D, and ‘t’ values of

the Awareness of Boys and Girls on Deforestation

Variable Sample Mean % of Mean S.D ‘t’ value

Boys 100 176.8 44.2 7.13 0.28

Girls 100 177.7 44.4 6.3

Not significant at 0.05 level

From the above table it is clear that

The Mean value of boys opinion is 176.8

The percentage of mean value of boys opinion is 44.2

The S.D value of boys opinion is 7.13 like wise.

The mean value of girls opinion is 177.7

The percentage of mean value of girls opinion is 44.4

The S.D value of girls opinion is 6.3

Finding

The obtained ‘t’ value is 0.28 which is not significant at 0.05 level.

Discussion

The existing curriculum from lower level is making the children know about forests. The

teaching methods are making the children aware about deforestation.


So, both boys and girls gained similar knowledge on forests and there is no significant

difference.

Conclusion

Hence the formulated hypothesis is accepted.

Hypothesis 2

There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of Urban and Rural secondary

school children on deforestation.

Table 3

Mean, Percentage of Mean, S.D, and ‘t’ values of Opinion of

Urban and Rural on Deforestation


Urban 100 180.6 45.15 7.17 1.73

Rural 100 173.9 43.47 8.93

Not siginificant at 0.05 level

Observation

From the above Table it is clear that

The mean value of Urban students is 180.6

The percentage of mean value of urban students is 45.15

The S.D value of Urban students is 7.17like wise

The mean value of Rural students is 173.9

The percentage of mean value of Rural students is 43.47

The S.D value of Rural students is 8.93

Findings

The Obtained ‘t’ value is 1.73 which is not significant at 0.05 level

Discussion

The spread of media even to the rural areas is making the children from all places well

aware of forests. Both print and non-print media are playing an important role in spreading the

information about forests to all corners. Hence the formulated hypothesis is accepted.


6

Hypothesis 3

There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of Government and Private

secondary school children on forests.

Table 4


Government and Private on Deforestation

Variable Sample Mean % of Mean S.D ‘t’value

Government 100 180.9 45.22 6.2 1.62

Private 100 175 43.75 8.84


Observation


The mean value of Government pupils is 180.6

The percentage of mean value of Government pupils is 45.22

The S.D value of Government pupils is 6.2 like wise

The mean value of Private pupils is 175

The percentage of mean value of Private pupils is 43.75

The S.D value of private pupils is 8.84

Findings


Discussion:

Now-a-days both Government and private secondary schools are in great competition

in all aspects. Irrespective of management both government and private secondary school children

responded equally on deforestation.

Concusion

Hence the formulated hypothesis There exists no significant difference in the Awareness

of Government and Private secondary school children on deforestation is accepted.

Hypothesis 4

There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of boys and girls secondary school

of the causes and effects of deforestation.


Table 5


Boys and Girls on the Causes and Effects of Deforestation


Boys 100 175.7 43.92 7.23 0.19

Girls 100 176.4 44.10 7.59






The mean value of girls opinion is 176.4

The percentage of mean value of girls opinion is 44.10


Finding


Discussion

The govt is conducting a number of programmes on environment issues in schools regularly

and also giving importance to the environmental education separately. So both girls and boys are

gaining knowledge about causes and effects of deforestation.

Conclusion

Hence the formulated hypothesis, There exists no significant difference in the Awareness

of secondary school boys and girl pupils of the causes and effects of deforestation is accepted.

Hypothesis 5


school pupil of the causes and effects of deforestation


8

Table 6


Urban and Rural on the Causes and Effects of Deforestation


Urban 100 179 44.75 4.23 1.56

Rural 100 173.3 43.32 4.16


Observation


The mean value of Urban pupils is 179

The percentage of mean value of urban pupils is 44.75

The S.D value of Urban pupils is 4.23 like wise

The mean value of Rural pupils is 173.3

The percentage of mean value of Rural pupils is 43.32

The S.D value of Rural pupils is 4.16

Findings


Discussion

Urban and rural secondary school children responded without significant difference in

their opinion on the causes and effects of deforestation. The reason might be the impact of media

also various programmes that are conducted by the Government.

Conclusion


of Urban and Rural secondary school children of the causes and effects of deforestation is

accepted.

Hypothesis 6


secondary school children of the causes and effects of deforestation.


Table 7

Mean, Percentage of Mean, S.D, and ‘t’ Values of Opinion of

Government and Private on the Causes and Effects of Deforestation


Government 100 180.3 45.07 6.94 2.49

Private 100 172.4 43.1 6.37


Observation


The mean value of Government school pupils is 180.3

The percentage of mean value of Government school pupils is 45.07

The S.D value of Government school pupils is 6.94 like wise

The mean value of Private school pupils is 172.4

The percentage of mean value of Private school pupils is 43.1

The S.D value of private school pupils is 6.37

Findings


Discussion

The Government schools are conducting the prescribed programmes by the Government

besides dealing with the curriculum on various issues and are especially concentrating only on

marks.

Conclusion

Hence the formulated hypothesis There exists no significant difference in the Awareness

of Government and Private secondary school children of the causes and effects of deforestation

is accepted.

Hypothesis 7

There exists no significant difference in the Awareness of secondary school boys and

girls of the impact of deforestation on bio-diversity.


10

Table 8


Opinion of Boys and Girls on Impact of Deforestation on Bio-diversity


Boys 100 167.4 41.85 8.8 2.23

Girls 100 175.1 43.77 5.41






The mean value of girls opinion is 175.1.77


Finding


Discussion

Now-a-days girls are more active and are gathering information from various sources.

Whereas boys are spending their time with peer groups and wasting their valuable time.

That’s why both boys and girls differed in their opinion on the impact of deforestation on

Bio-diversity.

Conclusion


of boys and girls of secondary school on the impact of deforestation on bio-diversity.

Hypothesis 8


school children on the impact of deforestation on bio-diversity.


Table 9

Mean, Percentage ofM, S.D, and ‘t’ values of Opinion of

Boys and Girls on the Causes and Effects of Deforestation


Urban 100 173.1 43.27 4.16 0.71

Rural 100 169.4 42.35 4.11


Observation


The mean value of Urban pupils is 173.1

The percentage of mean value of urban pupils is 43.27

The S.D value of Urban pupils is 4.16 like wise

The mean value of Rural pupils is 169.4

The percentage of mean value of Rural pupils is 42.35

The S.D value of Rural pupils is 4.11

Findings

The Obtained ‘t’ value is 0.71which is not significant at 0.05 level

Discussion

The media is giving more exposure to the latest issues that are showing their impact on

human beings and total earth. That is why both urban and rural children responded similary on the

impact of deforestation on bio-diversity.

Conclusion


of Urban and Rural secondary school children on the impact of deforestation on bio-diversity is

accepted.

Hypothesis 9


secondary school children on the impact of deforestation on bio-diversity.


12

Table 10


Opinion of Government and Private on the Impacts of

Deforestation on Bio-diversity

Variable Sample Mean % of Mean S.D ‘t’value

Government 100 173.6 43.4 9.45 1.29

Private 100 168.9 42.22 5.33


Observation

From the above Table it is clear that,

the mean value of Government school pupils is 173.6,

the percentage of mean value of Government school pupils is 43.4,

the S.D value of Government school pupils is 9.45 like wise,

the mean value of Private school pupils is 168.9,

the percentage of mean value of Private school pupils is 42.22, and

the S.D value of private school pupils is 5.33.

Findings


Discussion

The Govt and NGO’s are taking active part in giving total information about deforestation.

That is why both govt and private secondary school pupils agreed with the fact that the impact of

deforestation on bio diversity is a great concern.

Conclusion

Hence the formulated hypothesis that there exists no significant difference in the Awareness

of Government and Private secondary school pupils of the impact of deforestation on bio-

diversity is accepted.

Findings of the Study

Overall it was found that the secondary school pupils, both boys and girls, are quite

aware of the dangers of deforestation and the importance of protecting forests and having a

genuine concern for environment preservation and protection.


Bibolography

1. Buch, M.B. (1978) :” The Second Survey of Research in Education”. Delhi: NCERT.

2. Buch, M.B (1978-83) : The third Survey of Research in Education” Delhi: NCERT.

3. Garrett, E. Henry (2006) : Statistics in Psychology and Education, Surjeet Publications,

New Delhi.

4. Kothari, C.R. (1986): Research Methodology (Methods and Techniques), New Age

International (P) Ltd., Publishers, New Delhi-11000.

5. Sharma, RA(2007) Environmental Education, Raj Printer, R. Lall Book Department, Meerut.

6. Mishra R.C. (2006) Educational Research and Development, A.P.H. Publishing Corporation,

New Delhi- 110002.

7. Paradise Lost : India’s Biodiversity towards Extinction - S. Balaji - May 28, 2010.

8. Carson. R (1962) Silent Spring, Fawett, Newyork.

9. Environmental Studies - J.P. Sharma, Page No. 83 to 108.

10. The meaning of Bio-diversity - William Silvert (1991).

11. G. Tyler Mullar (2004). Environmental Science. Chennai Micro Print Private

Limited. Chennai.

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14

MIND MATHS AND FINGER MATHS

Sr. T. A. F. ChandraPrincipal, St. Joseph’s College of D. Ed., for Women, Guntur

Introduction

Human beings are the Crown of all Creations. Mathematics is the Queen of all Sciences.

Life without mathematics is like, ’the well without water’. Mathematics plays a very important

role in educated as well as uneducated people. Human beings who are all created in a symmetrical

manner easily grasp the wonder of mathematics by their own. Each and every part of the body

reveals all the shapes in mathematics.

Maths for All

Elementary Mathematics is part of Education system in most ancient civilizations, including

Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, Vedic Society and Ancient Egypt. With the new public

education systems, mathematics became a central part of the curriculum in all developed countries.

Mathematics plays an increasingly vital part in all areas of modern science, technology,

telecommunications, education, medicine, transportation, banking, insurance, agriculture and

development. The prominent role of Mathematics in human world is excellent, as it is recognized

as the most universal mode of thought.

Mind Maths refers to the practice of doing calculations mentally or all in one’s head.

Mental Maths is an extremely common and practical skill. Most people do at least some Mental

Maths on a daily basis. For example, we might mentally add the cost of two items to determine

the total amount we owe.

Schooling Mind Maths

Mind Maths is a new and simplified way of doing Arithmetic. It is based on procedures

which are different from conventional methods familiar to us. Mind Maths is a series of keys

which are used to memorize. It is a complete system of Maths ‘without any instruments’ such as

calculator, cell phones, computer etc. Mind Maths is not only speedy but simple. Once students

mastered the rules, lightning calculation is as easy as reading a story. It looks like magic, but rules

are based on logic. It makes arithmetic easier. Mind Maths system of Basic Mathematics, is an

entirely new set of skills which could be introduces especially to the primary school children.

Uses of Mind Maths

1. Response of the students is immediate.

2. Anyone can learn to do the problems easily and quickly.


3. ‘Greater ease – Greater speed – Greater accuracy’ is its slogan.

4. It achieves spectacular results that we expect of a mathematics genius.

5. It erases the fear, anxiety and timidity that hinder students to master arithmetic skills.

6. It keeps the subject alive and carries the young student ahead with natural interest.

7. It gives the learners self confidence.

8. It re-awakes interest in mathematics and related subjects generally.

9. The value of this new approach is most apparent to those who teach arithmetic to the primary

grades.

10. It discovers the genius in the child.

Easy Finger Maths Tricks

Being able to multiple with your fingers is a valuable skill to have, and people have been

doing it since at least the 15th century. We may have cell phone calculators, but in many cases it

is actually easier to keep your phone in your pocket and multiply with your fingers. It is also

helpful for students learning multiplication for the first time. For finger multiplication to work

successfully, one must first know the multiplication tables from one to five. Multiplying by hand

works for the tables of six, seven, eight, nine and ten. It is a matter of counting out the answer on

your fingers. When we count the answer repeatedly, we will be able to move onto larger numbers.

Tricks for Multiplying by 6, 7, 8 and 9

While numbers one through five are easy for most kids to remember, six and up often

pose a problem. This handy trick will make it much easier to work those problems out.

A. Multiply by Nine

1. Hold your hands out in front of you with your palms facing up. Each of your ten fingers

represents a number. Moving from your left thumb to your right thumb. Count out the numbers

from one to ten.

2.Point the finger you want to multiply by nine down towards your body. If you want to solve

(9x3) you will want to hold down your middle finger on your left hand. The middle finger

represents the finger the number three because, if you count your fingers from one to ten

beginning with your left thumb. Your middle finger is the third finger.

3. Solve the problem by counting fingers to the left and right. First count the fingers to the left of

your bent finger – in this case there should be two. Next count the fingers to the right of your

bent finger – in this case there should be seven. The first digit of the answer is 2 and the

second digit is 7, the answer is 27.


16

4. Try this with other multiples of nine. How would you multiply 9 and 2 with your fingers?

B. Multiplying by Six, Seven and Eight:

1. Hold your hands so that your palms are facing your body and your fingers are facing each

other. Again each finger will represent a number. Your pinkies represent the number six, your

ring fingers represent seven, your middle fingers will represent eight, your index fingers

represent nine and your thumbs represent the number ten.

2. Touch your fingers that represent your multiplication problem together. For example, if you

want to figure out the problem (7x6) you would touch your left ring finger represents 7, with

your right pinky represents 6.

3. Add the fingers that touch together as well as fingers beneath them. The next step is to count

the touching fingers as well as the fingers below them. These will represent the 10s. In this

case you would count the ring and pinky fingers on your left hand and the pinky on your right

hand. Each finger that you count as 10. In this case, the total is 30.

4. Multiply the remaining fingers. The next step is to add together the number of fingers on each

hand, not including the fingers that are touching. First count the number of fingers on your left

hand that are above the touching fingers – in this case there are 3. Next, count the number of

fingers on your right hand above the touching fingers – in this case there are 4. (3 x 4 = 12)

5. Add the two fingers together to find the answer. In this case you will add 30 to 12 for a total

of 42. The answer to 7 x 6 is 42.

6. Try this with other multiples of six, seven, eight and ten. How would you multiply 8 and 8

with your fingers?

1 2 3


4 5 6

Conclusion

From classroom experiences, the researcher has found that using quick tricks and letting

them count things on their fingers have highly motivated our students to develop much interest,

speed, accuracy, clarity and changed their attitude towards mathematics particularly fear and

anxiety reduced in its degree towards its basic four operations in Arithmetic. Not only are these

methods fun to practice, but they are also truly providing hands-on activities for students at the

secondary and college levels. Additionally, many interesting follow-up activities using finger

techniques could also be learned to help them develop confidence in solving mathematical problems.

References

1. Mathematics and the Mind by Edward Nelson, Dept. of Mathematics, Princeton University

2. http://www.math.princeton.edu./papers.html

3. www.nctm.org. ‘Let your Fingers do the Multiplying’ by Sidney J. Kolpas Vol. 9, No. 4 –

April 2002

4. https://www.dccc.edu/sites/default/sid_ kolpas/mathteacherfingers.pdf

5. www.wikihow.com / Multiply-With -Your-Hands

6. http://www.moebiusnoodles.com /2014 /04 /multiplication-a-parlor-finger-trick /

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18

TEACHING APTITUDE OF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS

Dr. C. Grace Indira G.BhavaniAssociate Professor Research Scholar

St.Joseph’s College of Edn. For Women Achara Nagarjuna Unversity, Guntur

Introduction

Teachers are literally the architects of a nation’s destiny. It may sound altruism, but it still

needs to be stressed that the teacher is the key to any educational reconstruction. The teacher

occupies a very important place in the society because he accelerates the process of transformation

of the intellectual tradition from one generation to the next. Therefore, a sound programme of

professional education of school and college teacher is essential for the qualitative improvement

of education. A teacher generally tries to teach in the way he himself was taught by his favourite

teachers during his own school days. He tries to perpetuate the traditional methods of teaching.

Therefore, India should develop effective professional education, which may initiate the teachers

to the most needed revolution in teaching and lay the foundations for their professional growth

and life- long education.

The role of teachers in promoting the quality of the educational process and its products

is well accepted. Teacher has its norms, moral responsibilities, personal values, expertise in using

teaching skills and knowledge of subject matter.

Need and Significance of the Study

A constructivist teacher’s role is to foster and direct his work on the part of students. A

teacher with teaching aptitude encourages students to use active techniques to create more

knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and how their understandings

are changing. Research indicates that everyone does not have the ability or the aptitude to take up

teaching. Certain minimum requirements in the way of intelligence, temperament, and personality

are observed to be highly critical.

Aptitude is considered to be an important characteristic of an individual, which predicts

the future success or failure of teachers, whereas, level of aspiration means a “strong desire to

accomplish something”. In teaching profession, it is the pupil teachers expectations, goals or

claims on their future achievement and shows the estimation of these trainees abilities for their

future performance and the efforts they make towards attaining the goals. If the teacher trainees

do not have the required aptitude then no amount of training can influence their teaching effectiveness

in the classroom.


Hence, teaching aptitude is considered as the determinant factor for choosing the teaching

profession. When we say a person possesses an aptitude for teaching, it is assumed that he has a

good proportion of the traits required for becoming successful in teaching.

Title of the Study

Teaching Aptitude of Prospective Teachers

Operational Definitions

Teaching Aptitude

A condition, symptomatic in his readiness to acquire proficiency, his potential ability and

another is his readiness to develop an interest in exercising his ability- Bingham.

Prospective Teachers

Teacher candidates who were enrolled in a teacher education program or who are

studying D.Ed.


1. To find out the teaching aptitude of prospective teachers.

2. To compare the teaching aptitude of male and female prospective teachers.

3. To compare the teaching aptitude of rural and urban prospective teachers.

4. To compare the teaching aptitude of perspective teachers below 20 years and above 20

years of age.


Null Hypotheses were formulated taking the objectives into consideration. The following

hypotheses were formulated for the present study.

1. Male and female prospective teachers do not differ significantly in their teaching aptitude.

2. Rural and Urban prospective teachers do not differ significantly in their teaching aptitude.

3. Prospective teachers aged below 20 years and above 20 years do not differ significantly in

their teaching aptitude.

Delimitations of the Study

The present study was delimited with regard to the following.

1. The area of present study was limited to only one district of Andhra Pradesh

2. The study was conducted on D.Ed. trainees.

3. In the present study, only the Teaching Aptitude Test Battery developed by Dr R.P. Singh &

Dr. S. N. Sharma was used.


20

4. The tool was administered on 50 D.Ed. students only.

Methodology of the Study

Research Design

Researcher had used the survey method for collecting the data.

Population and Sample of the Study

Sampling is the process by which a relatively small number of individuals are selected

and analyzed in order to find out something about the entire population form, which it was selected.

Keeping in view the limited source of time money and practical difficulty a limited sample consisting

of 50 D.Ed. students was taken.

Procedure of the Study

The data collection was done over a sample of 50 prospective teachers from the DIETs

of Guntur District.

Teaching Aptitude Test Battery

The test was constructed by R.P.Singh and S.N.Sharma designed to administer or used

on teachers. Items are divided into 4 areas.

They are

1. Mental ability

2. Attitude towards children

3. Adaptability

4. Professional information

Data Analysis

Objectives 1

To find out the Teaching Aptitude of the Prospective Teachers.

Sample Mean SD % of Mean 1/5th

of Mean

50 119.76 10.91 79.84 15.968

Interpretation

From the above table it is interpreted that the mean value of prospective teachers is

119.76 and SD 10.91.The % of mean 79.84 respectively. Hence the teaching aptitude of

prospective teachers is average.


Hypothesis: 1

Male and Female Prospective Teachers do not differ

Significantly in their Teaching Aptitude

Gender Sample Mean SD S.Ed ‘t’ value

Male 26 115.17 10.42 3.02 1.02

Female 24 119.28 10.96

Interpretation

From the above table it is interpreted that there is no significant difference between

male and female prospective teachers in their teaching aptitude. Hence the hypothesis is accepted.

Hypothesis 2

Rural and Urban Pteachers do not differ

Significantly in their Teaching Aptitude

Locality Sample Mean SD S.Ed ‘t’ value

Rural 25 120.91 10.65 2.92 0.66

Urban 25 118.96 10.96

Interpretation

From the above table it is interpreted that there is no significant difference

between rural and urban area prospective teachers in their teaching aptitude.

Hence the hypothesis is accepted.

Hypothesis 3

Prospective Teachers Aged below 20 Years and Above 20 Years

do not differ Significantly in their Teaching Aptitude

Age Sample Mean SD S.Ed ‘t’ value

Above 25 years 30 115.33 10.09 3.05 1.21

Below 25 years 20 119.04 10.72


22

Interpretation

From the above table it is interpreted that there is no significant difference between the

prospective teachers aged below 20yeras and above 20 years in their teaching aptitude. Hence

the hypothesis is accepted.

Findings

1.The teaching aptitude of prospective teachers is average.

2.The variable gender is not significantly influencing the teaching aptitude of the prospective teachers

3.The variable locality is not significantly influencing the teaching aptitude of the prospective teachers.

4.The variable age is not significantly influencing the teaching aptitude of the prospective teachers.

Educational Implications

The findings of the present study have some important educational implications

1. In order to minimize these differences adequate provisions and changes in the curricula

should be made.

2. Workshops should be organized for the D.Ed. teacher trainees, so that their aptitude for

teaching can be enhanced.

3. More emphasis should be given to practical work to enhance their aptitude for teaching.

4. The duration of their teaching practice need be increased to enhance their teaching aptitude.

5. They should be arranged on groups according to their stream, so that guidance could be

provided to them according to their stream.

6. Seminars should be organized from time to time to inculcate new ideas in them which may

lead to developing their teaching aptitude.

7. Proper guidance programme for the D.Ed. teacher trainees should be developed and organized

from time to time.

8. Different types of activities and competitions should be organized from time to time to enhance

the teaching aptitude of D.Ed. teacher trainees.

Conclusion

The study found that most of the prospective teachers, irrespective of their gender,

locality and age had average teaching aptitude.

References

••••• Jena, P.C. (2012). Teaching aptitude of Harijan Madhymik Vidayalya teachers in relation to

their teaching competency and organizational climate. International Journal of Education and

Psychological Research (IJEPR), 1(1) 19-29.


••••• Kakkar, N. (2014). Teaching competency of teacher-trainees in relation to their emotional

intelligence. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 4(8), 122- 124.

••••• Kamalpreet K.T. (2013). A study of social and emotional intelligence of secondary school

teachers. International Journal of Behavioral Social and Movement Sciences, 2(4), 22-34.

••••• Kant, R. (2012). A study of teaching aptitude and responsibility feeling of secondary school

teachers in relation to their sex and locale. Academic Research International, 1(2), 254-

259.

••••• Kaur, H. (2014). A comparative study of teaching aptitude of B.ed.(general) pupil teach ers

of kurukshetra district in relation to their gender, location, stream and professional experience.

PARIPEX - Indian Journal of Research, 3(8), 28-30.

••••• Shukla, S. (2014). Teaching competency, professional commitment and job satisfaction-a

study of primary school teachers. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-

JRME), 4( 3,) 44-64.

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24

PERCEPTION OF IN-SERVICE TEACHERS ABOUT THE

IGNOU WORKSHOP

Poonam Kumari, Dr.T.Swarupa RaniPh.D Research Scholar, Principal,

Acharya Nagarjuna University,Guntur St. Joseph College of Education for Women, Guntur)

Introduction

In the field of education workshop means a room, area or a small establishment where

manual or light industrial work is done like an educational seminar or series of meetings, emphasizing

interaction and exchange of information among a usually small number of participants. Workshops

tend to be smaller and more intense than seminars. This format often involves students practicing

their new skills during the event under the watchful eyes of the instructor. Hands on workshops

typically involve participants doing work on a particular issue during the program. Workshop is

generally organized by an institution or association in order to develop certain instructional materials,

books, resource materials, supportive materials, workbooks etc. Workshops may be organized

to develop certain skills of teachers. Teachers could be trained in certain new laboratory skills,

developing a question bank, analysis of questions in different examinations and suggest reforms.

A workshop could mean hard work on the part of experienced teachers to create educational

materials. A workshop comprises of a small, selected group of teachers or experts drawn from

actual working situations.

Importance of Workshops

••••• Workshops help to learn research based strategic learning and teaching practices.

••••• A workshop is helpful to learn practical classroom strategies and to take responsibility for

their own happiness and success.

••••• They help to explore class room issues that impede student’s success and help them learn

how to deal with them.

••••• A workshop is useful to learn how to incorporate learning strategies into content course

work.

••••• They help to gain access to what colleagues from across the nation are doing to ensure

students success.

••••• They are helpful in connecting with principles that can improve the performance of both the

students and the teachers.

••••• They help to collaborate with colleagues on best practices.

••••• Participating in a workshop is a priceless investment that will pay dividends in future.


••••• They are helpful to rediscover the fun and excitement of learning and embrace the challenge

of personal achievement and quality of life.

••••• The workshops may help the students to understand the importance of behavioural aspects

including the importance of listening skills, body language, etc.

••••• They provide more discussion and interactive opportunities for the learners.

••••• They enable the participants to know about their styles and behavior through self analysis.

••••• The workshops are designed to bridge the gap between what is required and where our

students stand.

Review of Related Literature

M.C. Sharma(2001) worked on Teacher Education through Distance Mode. His findings

showed that teachers have an important role to play in making education relevant to the needs of

the emerging modern society. The maintenance of standards and quality in teacher education

programme can be met through Distance Education, if due importance to practical components

of the B.Ed. programme like workshop, SBA and teaching practice is given.

Darshana P. Sharma(2002) conducted a study on Teacher Education Programme of

IGNOU and concluded that the aim of workshop was to increase an understanding and the skills

of teaching of the teachers in the classroom as well as to strengthen their professional competencies.

Objectives

1. To find out the perception of the In-service teachers about the IGNOU workshops.

2. To find out the perception of the In-service teachers about the IGNOU workshop with

respect to the following areas.

(a) Attitudes

(b) Satisfaction Level

3. To find and compare the perception of the In-service teachers about IGNOU workshop

with respect to the following variables.

(a) Type of School

(b) Academic Stream

(c) Locality

Hypotheses

1. There is no significant difference in the perception of the In-service teachers about the IGNOU

workshop.



26

workshop with respect to the following areas.

(a) Attitude

(b) Satisfaction Level.


workshop with respect to the following variables.

(a) Type of School

(b) Academic Stream

(c) Locality

Delimitations

1. The study was delimited to female teachers only.

2. The study was restricted to 40 teachers who were B.Ed. trainees through the IGNOU

programme.

Research Methodology

Descriptive survey method was used to gather data on the perception of the in- service

teachers (government & private) about the IGNOU workshop. A structured questionnaire was

framed to collect the primary data. Sampling procedure followed in this study was simple random

sampling.

Population

Population of the present study included the in-service teachers of government and

private schools. The sample collected from this population consisted of 40 teachers(20 from

government and 20 from private schools).

Tool Used in the Study

A questionnaire on the perception of B.Ed. trainees about the IGNOU workshop was

prepared to collect the data. The questionnaire consisted of 20 items each to be rated on a 5

point rating scale.

Analysis of Data

Statistical techniques used to analyze and interpret data are in the following tables.

Hypothesis 1

There is no significant difference in the perception of government and private in-service

teachers about IGNOU workshop.


Table 1

Overall Perception of In-service Teachers about the IGNOU Workshop

Areas Mean S.D. Mean %

Content 45.2 7.14 90.4

Presentation 22.85 3.61 91.4

Activities 21.75 3.43 87

Table 1 reveals that the mean perception of in-service teachers of government and

private schools about the IGNOU workshop. The mean percentage of in-service teachers about

the overall content of the workshop is 90.4%. The perception about presentation is 91.4%, and

the mean percentage about activities of the workshop is found to be 87%. This shows that both

government and private in-service teachers have a high degree of perception about IGNOU

workshop. Thus there is no significant difference in their perception towards the IGNOU workshop.

Hence the formulated hypothesis is accepted.

Hypothesis 2

There is no significant difference in the perception of in-service teachers with respect to

their attitude and satisfaction level

Table 2.1

Mean Comparison of Attitude towards IGNOU Workshop of

Government and Private In-service Teachers

Type of

School

No. of

Teachers Mean S.D. t-value

Level of

Significance

Government 20 4.3 0.961 1.684 0.05

Private 20 7.85 0.17

Table 2.1. reveals the mean attitude of in-service teachers towards workshop in

government and private schools. The mean attitude of teachers of government school is 4.3 and

that of teachers of private school is 7.85. It also reveals that there is not much difference in

attitude of government and private teachers towards the IGNOU workshop.

The obtained t-value that is 1.684 was significant at 0.05 level, indicating that there was

no significant difference in the attitude of government and private school in-service teachers. The

calculated t-value is less than the table value.

The difference that exists in attitude of in-service teachers is due to sampling error.


28

Table 2.2

Mean Comparison of Satisfaction Level of In-service

Teachers towards IGNOU Workshop

Type of

School

No. of

Teachers Mean S.D. t-value

Level of

Significance

Government 20 2.80 0.62 1.684 0.05

Private 20 4.55 1.01

Table 2.2 reveals the mean satisfaction level of in-service teachers towards the IGNOU

workshop in government and private schools. The mean satisfaction level of teachers of government

schools is 2.80 and that of private school is 4.55. It also reveals that there is not much difference

in the satisfaction level of in-service government and private school teachers towards the IGNOU

workshop.

The obtained t-value that is 1.684 was significant at 0.05 level of significance. This

indicates that there is no significant difference in the satisfaction level of in-service government.

and private school teachers towards IGNOU workshop. The difference that occurred in the

satisfaction level of in- service teachers is due to sampling error.

Hence the formulated hypothesis was accepted. This shows that there is no significant

difference in the perception of in-service teachers with respect to their attitude and satisfaction

level.

Hypothesis 3

There is no significant difference in the perception of in-service teachers with respect to

the variables namely-Type of School, Academic Stream and Locality.


Table 3

Mean Comparison of Perception with Respect to the Variables namely-Type of

School, Academic Stream and Locality

Variables No. of

Teachers Mean S.D. t-value C.R.

Level of

Significance

1.Type of school

Government 20 4.3 0.96 1.684 -17.75 0.05

Private 20

2.Academic Stream

B.A. 30 5.4 0.98 1.684 6.11 0.05

B.Com. 10 3.2 1.01

3.Locality

Rural 10 3.8 3.8 1.684 -1.98 0.05

Urban 30 6.2 1.13

From table 3,it is clear that the Type of School (Government or Private) does not have

any significant difference in the perception of in-service teachers about IGNOU workshop. The

critical ratio-17.75, calculated is less than the t-value of 1.684 at 0.05 level of significance. Hence

the hypothesis is accepted.

Table 3 also reveals that there is a significant difference in the perception of in-service

teachers about IGNOU workshop in relation to their Academic stream. The critical ratio is 6.11

which is greater than the t-value 1.684. This is significant at 0.05 level. Thus the null hypothesis is

rejected. The in-service teachers of B.A. Academic Stream have high perception in comparison

to in-service teachers of B.Com. Academic Stream.

The locality of in-service teachers where they are working also has no significant

differences in their perception about the IGNOU workshop. The critical ratio calculated is -1.98

which is less than the t-value of 1.684 at 0.05 level of significance. Hence the formulated hypothesis

is accepted. The minor difference that appears is due to sampling error.

Conclusion

It was concluded from the this study that there was no significant difference in the

perception of the in-service teachers of government and private schools about IGNOU workshop.

It was also observed that there was no significant difference in the satisfaction level of in -service

teachers of government and private schools. But there was a significant difference in the perception

of B.A. Academic Stream in-service teachers in comparison to the B.Com. Academic Stream in-


30

service teachers. But overall perception of the B.Ed. trainees through the IGNOU programme

was high as it is clearly visible from the study. So it was suggested that workshop duration could

be increased. Interactions between student teachers and resource persons should be encouraged

appropriately. In all, maximum students agreed that workshop helped extensively in developing

teaching competencies.

References

••••• Tyagi, Poonam & Sahoo, P.K.(1992) IGNOU students perception of its instructional system,

Media and technology for Human Resource Development, vol. 4 No. 4, 239-245.

••••• Sharma, Hemant Lata and Singh, Dharmender (2001) In service secondary teachers training

through distance education in Haryana, Indians Journal of open learning, Vol. 10, no. 2,

203-209.

••••• Mishra R.R. Nasim, A and Rai, N.K. (2001) Print materials in Distance Teaching: Learner’s

view, Indian Journal of open learning, vol.10, No. 1, 52-59

••••• Darshana P. Sharma, Directorate of Distance Education, University of Jammu, Teacher

Education Programme of IGNOU.

••••• Sharma M. C. (2001), Teacher Education through distance mode: An indepth study, Indian

journal of open learning 10(2),193-202.

••••• Koul B.N and Menon, M.B.(1992) Teacher Education through distance mode, Indian journal

of open learning, 1(2) pp1-9.

••••• Ashalata J.(1990) Perception of learners about distance education, M.Phil Dissertation,

Osmania University, Hyderabad.

W


WOMEN WRITERS ON CASTE, RELIGION AND

REGION IN ANDHRA PRADESH

P. BabithaResearch Scholar, Department of Education, Acharya Nagarjuna University

Nagarjuna Nagar - 522510, GUNTUR, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA

1. Introduction

Women writing through centuries intend to show the environment both at home and in

society that contributed to women writing in post-independent Andhra Pradesh. The first

contributions of women writers in Andhra Pradesh, India, in Telugu, the official state language

appeared in 1260, Channamma, the first female Telugu novelist was Jayanti Suramma in 1906[1].

The form of the female novel matured after 1920. Women’s novels entertained the middle class

and centered on the theme of family. The most widely read female novelist is Yaddanapudi Sulochana

Rani and Malladi Subbamma is a prolific modern author, who wrote a history of women’s struggle

for emancipation. After 1980, the Telugu literature reflected women’s consciousness, feminist

criticism, a richness in topics, and a spirit of revolt. Women are telling stories in the form of poetry

and continued into the modern times. Women writing fiction started in the second quarter of the

20th century. After achieving independence in 1947, India was lulled into silence for a brief period

for want of direction. Mass education and women’s education became a priority for rebuilding

the nation. In the post-independent era, an overhaul of traditional values started taking place [7].

2. Executive Summary

Three major movements, namely, the social reform movement started by Veeresalingam,

the independence movement under leadership of Gandhi, and the library movement under the

leadership of Ayyanki Venkataramanayya, contributed immensely to popularize female writing

and explore female creativity. Women started receiving formal education in public schools in the

late 19th century. Kandukuri Veeresalingam (1848-1919), a prominent social reformer and activist,

pioneered the women’s movement in Andhra Pradesh, and for that reason earned the title “the

father of modern epoch” [yugapurushudu or yugakarta] in Andhra Pradesh.

Just in one decade, in 1930’s, the number of Telugu magazines almost doubled from

136 in 1920 to 240 in 1930. Several of them were caste-oriented reflecting the strong community

bond within the castes. After independence, the government under Five-Year Plans helped to

start high schools even in the smallest villages. Formal education for girls was already put in place


32

the 1950s, by then, the number of high schools in the cities also had increased. So the girls who

were receiving education only up to 5th or 6th grade in the villages advanced to the high school

level.

A second development was in the area of printing. The magazines, in order to recover

their investment, started several link magazines in 1960s, for instance Andhra Jyoti started Vanita

Jyoti for women and Bala Jyoti for children. Thus, with the proliferation of magazines and link

magazines a need to feed them followed. During this period, they stayed at home either as

housewives or waiting for bridegrooms with qualifications higher than theirs. They started buying

and reading magazines as a pastime and then started writing about their experiences and aspirations.

Just about that time some writers like Ranganayakamma have already started writing social

consciousness fiction. And these educated, unmarried women felt a need to be recognized as

persons.—something like “notice me, try to understand who I am,” was apparent in their writings.

At the same time, they were also putting “the woman at the feet of man [charana daasulu gaane

undaali].” In other words, the women who had received some education began writing as a

diversion and the magazines encouraged them. Their views were in a nascent stage.

The third development in the 1950’s was the change in the climate as a result of the

formation of a new leisure class. The government plans, bureaucracy, bribery, etc. helped people

to amass wealth. New kitchen gadgets created more leisure for women. To make use of this

leisure women depended on the magazines. Women’s novels entertained the middle class and

centered on the theme of family. Eventually, women entered workforce. The number of workers

was always higher than was necessary because it was a woman’s [Indira Gandhi] regime, and so,

the women did not have a problem reading magazines. Popularity of women writer got to a point,

men could not survive as writers unless they also wrote under female pseudonyms

3. Historical Perspective

Over the centuries, women have acquired knowledge while staying within the confines

of their homes. There is evidence of scholarship among women from upper classes, Brahmin

[scholars], Kshatriya [royalty] castes, and other economically advantaged classes.

Some of the acclaimed female authors were Leelavati, 11th century, Tallapaka Timmakka,

12th century, Gangadevi, 13th century, Mohanangi, 15th century, and Muddupalani, 18th century,

to name but few. Bhaskaracharyulu, a famous mathematician, 11th century, taught his daughter

Leelavati mathematics. Leelavati authored a textbook, Leelavati ganitamu which is considered

a valuable contribution [2].


Mohanangi, 16th century, daughter of emperor Krishnadevarayalu, received unequivocal

support from her father in her literary venture. Following passage affirms the father-daughter

relationship in the medieval period. The original text is in poetic form.

Krishnadevarayalu noticed that his daughter was perplexed and asks what was troubling

her. Mohanangi replied that she was considering writing not “a few silly lines” but “a kavya [epic]

much to the chagrin of those who ridicule female writing.” Krishnadevarayalu expressed immense

pleasure at her decision and said, “I have been telling you, and you didn’t listen to me. Please do

let me have the pleasure of your poetry.” He also assured her that her scholastic excellence was

superior even to male writers [2].

Utukuri Lakshmikantamma (1917-1997), a highly respected female scholar in Sanskrit

and Telugu, poet, and literary historian, listed more than 200 female poets extending over ten

centuries in her monumental work, Andhra kavayitrulu [Andhra female authors] (1953)[5].

4. Women’s Education In Upper Classes

The females in the upper classes have received support and encouragement from male

family members in acquiring knowledge as well as in their literary pursuits. It is evident that female

scholarship in royal families existed and male family members were supportive of female scholarship.

This tradition of receiving support from family members continued in modern period. The story of

Bhandaru Acchamamba’s is a classic example of such support. In fact, her story provides arguments

on both sides of the question—whether and how the family members responded to females

acquiring knowledge. Acchamamba’s brother Komarraju Lakshmana Rao, a famous activist and

respected journalist, encouraged her to learn to read. Some members of her family were opposed

to the idea. Acchamamba was indifferent at first, and later decided to go along with her brother’s

advice. Then she took upon herself to convince the other family members. Eventually she became

a scholar not only in Telugu, but also in Sanskrit and English, and authored a book, Abala

Saccharitra ratnamala in 3 volumes 1. ,histories of women in classics 2., women in history and

3., biographies of foreign women [2]

Lakshmikantamma cited several instances in her book where the family members have

actively supported women’s education and encouraged women writing. It would also appear that

by this time the female scholarship extended beyond brahmin and kshatriya castes, to other

economically higher classes. Acchamamba belonged to Vaisya caste (business community).

Gangadevi : Gangadevi (14th Century) was the daughter of Kakatiyas and the daghter-

in-law of the Vijayanagara Dynasti founded by Bukkarayalu and Harihara Rayalu. She was the

wife of Kamaparayalu, the third son of Bukkarayalu. The rulers of both Kaktiya and Vijayanagar


34

dynasties were indigenous Telugu communities. She wrote the true story of her husband’s victory

over Muslims in Madhura, entitled “Madhura Vijayamu”. This Kavyamu (poem) is also known

as “Veerakamparaya Charitramu”, and contains 8 chapters.

TallapakaTimmakka: Tallapaka Timmakka (15th Century) was the first woman write

in Telugu. She was the first wife of Tallapaka Annamacharya. Tallapaka family was a Brahmin

family. She wrote Subhadhrakalyaanamu in Telugu, a poem of 1170 verses. Although Arjuna of

Mahabharat of North India was the hero of the story, she reenacted the story with Telugu culture,

customs, sensuality and Telugu places.

Leelavati : She was the daughter of a Brahmin mathematics professor Bhaskaracharya.

She wrote a text of mathematics called “leelavati ganitamu” in Sanskrit.

Tirumalamba : Tirumalamba wrote “varadambica parinayamu”, the story of marrriage

of Achyuta Devarayalu, in Sanskrit language.

Triveni : Triveni was the daughter of Udayendrapuram Anatacharyulu and the wife of

Prativadibhayankaram Venkatacharyulu. Her contributions include unpublished Lakshminadha

Sahasramu, Ranganadha Sahasramu, Srirangabhydayamu, Tatvamudra bhadrodayamu,

Sukasandesamu, Bhrungasandesamu etc. in Sanskrit language.

Madhuravani : Madhuravani’s original name was Sukavani. She was a court poetess

of King Raghunadha. She translated Raghunadha’s Telugu Ramayanamu into Sanksrit. However,

only part of this Sanskrit “Ramayana sarakavya tilakamu” is available.

Rangajamma : Ranagajamma, also known as Rangaji, was the daughter of Pasupuleti

Mangamamba and Venkatadri. She was a wife (or concubine) and a court poetess of King

Vijayaraghava (17th century). She was considered to belong to a Vesya (concubine) community.

However, these Vesyas were highly respected and weilded lot of power and social status in the

Telugu country. Her contributions include Mannaru Dasavilasamau.

Muddupalani : Muddupalani was a court poetess and a concubine of Marathi King

Pratapasimha (18th century). Her father was Mutyalu and mother was Potiboti. She wrote

sensual poetry called ‘Radhika Santvanamu’ to prove that women can write lust and sex as well

as or even better than men! Being a Vesya (concubine or prostitute) it was not difficult for her to

write about lust and sex. Her poetry is considered sweet, in which she uses a lot of popular

sayings and proverbs effectively.

TarigondaVenkamamba : Tarigonda Venkamamba (19th century) has a special place

in Telugu women writers. She was a child widow. Child marriages (with old men ready to die)


were common in 19th century. She was born into a family of Nandavareeks sect of Brahmin

tribe/caste. Her father was Krishnayamatya and mother was Mangamamba. Her teacher was

Prof.Subrahmnayudu. Her poetic contributions include Venkatachala Mahatmyamu, Vasista

Ramamyanamu, Rajayogasaramu, Bhagavatamu, Krishnamanjari. Almost all of her writings are

devotional, religious and philosophical [7].

5. Women In Lower Classes

Speaking of the females from lower classes in the previous centuries, Atukuri Molla

belonged to potters’ caste/class and is commonly referred to as kummari [potters] Molla. Unlike

the female writers from upper classes. One critic raised the question how could Molla, a woman

of lower caste, acquire the writing skills (Radhika Gajjala. Personal correspondence). I could

only take a wild guess based my limited knowledge of the heirarchy in India. Within each community

there is an internal structure. For instance, within the kummari caste, Molla’s father could be the

head/chief [kulapedda] in which case she was entitled to the privileges of the higher status women

Molla did not hesitate to appear in public or approach the royalty. Molla was acclaimed

for her Ramayanam, written in pure Telugu, brimming with cultural nuance and native idiom,

unadulterated with long winding and heavily Sanskritized phraseology. She was the second[6]female

poet to write in pure Telugu. “Molla’s Ramayanam enjoys popularity to this day while several

other Ramayanams written by highly regarded male scholars of her times were lost in history” [3].

Molla belonged to the 14th or 16th century. Lakshmikantamma established authoritatively

the dates as 1320-1400 or 1405 (Andhra Kavayitrulu 25) while Arudra determined it to be the

16th century [3]

6. Other Women Writers

Some other famous 19th century women are: Bhandaru Achchamamba, Burra

Suramamba, emuri Saradamba, Mamidanna Subhadhramma, Seeramu Subhadhrayamma,

Avadhoota Gnanamaba, Jooloori Tulasamma, etc.

Kotikalapudi Seetamma (late 19th and early 20th century) was a follower of Kandukuri

Veeresalingamu Pantulu. Her contributions include Ahalyabai, Sadhuraksha Satakamu,

Bhaktimargamu, Satidharmamu etc. She presided over the first Telugu Women Writer’s meeting

called Pradhamandhra Mahilasabha in Bapatla in 1913[4].

Later writers include: Chilakapati Seetamba, Chebrolu Saraswatidevi, Chilakapati

Seetamba, Gudipudi Indumatidevi, Burra Kamaladevi, Sthanapati Rukminamma, Ganti

Krishnavenamma, Dronamraju Lakshmibayamma, Kanaparti Varalakshmamma, Somaraju


36

Indumatidevi, Chavaqli Bangaramma, Pallapragada Viswasundaramma, Krottapalli Lalita, Utukuri

Lakshmikantamma, etc.

In the contemporary time (later part of the 20th century), a number of women novelists

became popular: Jayanti Suramma, Pulugurti Laksjminaramamba, Seeramu Subhadramba,

Kanaparti lakshminaramma, Illindala Saraswatidevi, Malati Chandoor, Lata, Muppalla

Ranganayakamma, Vasireddi Seetadevi, Koddori Kousalyadevi, Yaddanapudi Sulochanarani,

Binadevi, P. Anandaramam, Dvivedula Visalalkshi, D. Kameswari, Madireddi Sulochana,

Ramalakshmi, Asalata, Parimala Someswar, etc[4].

References

[1] Women in development: perspectives from selected states of India, Vol. 1, edited by P.R.

Reddy, P. Sumangala. Delhi, India, B.R. Publishing Corporation, 1998. 277-95.

[2] Lakshmikantamma, Utukuri. Andhra kavayitrulu. Hyderabad: Author, 1953.

[3] Samagra Andhra Sahityam, V. 12, Madras: Seshachalam &Co., 1968 168-176.

[4] Telugu Women Writers of the Last Millennium-

http://www.vepachedu.org/Women.html

[5] The book received Madras Government Literary Award in 1953, and went into several

reprints. To this day it remains a valuable research tool.

[6] Tallapaka Timmakka was the first female poet to write in pure Telugu.

[7] Vepachedu, Srinivasa Rao Home page. 7 July 2001 <http://members.iquest.net/- vepachedu/

Women.html

[8] Telugu original: talli chaalu pillalaku vacchunu.

[9] Translation of complete article is available on my web site, Thulika

(http://www.thulika.net/), September 2002.

[10] http://members.iquest.net/-vepachedu/Women.html.

W


EDUCATION - A KEY TO VALUES

Dr. B.SrilathaAssociate Professor


Introduction

Education is an effective and pervasive phenomenon for all round individual development

and social transformation. This alone can sustain culture and civilization. A balanced development

of mind and body in harmony with the spirit is the key to the enrichment of human personality and

an outcome of value–based education, which must, in the ultimate analysis, help humanity to

transcend to a higher level of consciousness. Our children must, from their infancy, be taught the

dignity of labour.

Thus, the true meaning of education is the harmonious development of head, heart and

hand i.e., enlightenment of mind, compassion and dignity of labour. Moral and spiritual training is

an essential part of education. If education is to help us to meet the moral challenge of the age and

play its part in the life of the community, it should be liberating and life giving. It must give a basic

meaning to one’s existence and equip us with the ability to overcome spiritual inertia and foster

spiritual sensitivity. Temples of learning should produce men and women who will move together

to develop common ideals and purposes, love each other and co-exist to create common wealth.

Values and the Contemporary Realities

Whenever there is a discussion about values and value education there is generally

a scepticism about the relevance of values in the present day context. One reason is because our

general conception about value education has been mainly expressed in terms of development of

values and virtues like honesty, self-control, respect, responsibility, loyalty for personality/character

development of the individual per se without situating them in the prevailing social, cultural realities

and conditions. Values should not be treated as ideal concepts but as ‘empowering tools’ which

are helpful in meeting the challenges of the contemporary social world-be it religious fundamentalism,

environmental degradation, multi-cultural conflicts, misuse of science and technology, inequalities,

ill effects of mass media, globalization, commercialization and so on. The very nature of value

education implies empowering the students with certain attitudes and skills as well as giving them

the critical ability to use them in the contemporary every day world, full of myriad challenges.

In the context of schools and school education, there are some key challenges particularly

in contemporary social contexts that acquire the sense of urgency which need to be addressed to.

An attempt has been made to present a brief discussion of why we need to come up with new


38

ways of educating students to allow them to better situate themselves when confronted by the

socio-cultural complexities and the role of values in meeting the challenges.

Exploding World of Science and Technology

It is very clear that coming decades are going to see a greater explosion of science and

technology while we are still trying to cope up with the present challenges of new technology. It

has many good and bad unintended consequences. How science and technology is to be used is

a question of values. Application of science and technology in a more humane and rationale way

is related to moral and ethical responsibility. The values and attitudes can only make difference to

guide individual actions based on the principles of fairness, goodness, constructive and critical

attitude and wisdom to discern between the potential and pitfalls of scientific and technological

advancements.

Mass Media

A major ubiquitous aspect of contemporary society is the intrusion of the mass media

into the day to day life of all societies. The values and attitudes that get transmitted most often are

rather contrary to the values desired by the family, society or school. Propagating myths and

derogatory images of women for example is likely to make the young learner, instead of learning

that all human beings are equal and all men and women are equal, grow up with prejudices

injurious to women and society.

Students are required to go through the process of learning in schools by which they are

empowered to decode the negative messages that the mass media propagates purely from a

commercial and money making point of view. Centred thinking, reflection, social responsibility,

questioning, discerning truth and facts, freedom from biases are all important values and skills to

be developed in young learners.

There is a need to examine and ensure how these issues and concerns are dealt

appropriately in our school system, in curriculum, teaching, the administrative processes, the

institutional ethos and over all climate of the school and how our students are given opportunities

to develop their considered opinions and convictions to meet the above challenges peacefully and

creatively.

Moulding the Character and Shaping Personality

Teachers can play a vital role in this regard. A teacher must succeed in conveying the

larger ideals of service to the community, virtues of tolerance and respect for all faiths, importance

of character, integrity and discipline and the value of humanism to his pupil. The later should also


be made aware of our heritage and culture. They should develop a mature attitude towards

religion. Acquaintance with prayers of different religions and hymns and songs of various faiths

may also help young minds to recognize the intrinsic purity, beauty and practical usefulness of

different religious thoughts. A UNESCO report on education for the 21st century entitled Learning.

The Treasure Within also pleads for an education which is ‘rooted in culture and committed to

progress’. Developing a harmonious and integrated personality would just not be possible if the

system does not inculcate values embedded in the culture, heritage and traditions. Indian heritage,

culture and values need to be thoroughly studied, analyzed and incorporated comprehensively in

the educational system right from the pre-primary stage to higher education.

Injection of information into young minds has been taking place on a massive scale, but

character and personality development has not received the attention it deserves. Creation

of the right environment which helps and encourages young minds to resolve personal and

moral issues independently is of utmost importance. Although it is not an easy task but it

needs to be done at all costs.

Since character of people may decide the destiny of a nation, the educational system

should develop character, courage, comradeship, discipline, leadership, secular outlook, spirit of

adventure and sportsmanship, and ideals of selfless service.

Emphasis should be laid on the study of the life of great sons of the soil whose ideas and

ideals have moved the world, because such a practice may provide an insight to the younger

generation for character development and spiritual sensitivity.

Value Concerns at School Stage

One of the major debates around value education is what values should be inculcated

among students. While there is a kind of consensus as to what values are, there seems to be some

confusion about which values and whose values need to be nurtured. There are varied ways of

listing and classifying values using different terminologies. Any kind of arbitrary listing or classification

without proper framework is likely to lead to confusion.

Values are complex mix of understanding, attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and skills. There

are cluster of attitudes and beliefs associated with a particular value. For example, loyalty includes

truth, peace is linked to commitment and justice. Moreover values are overlapping and

interdependent. Not only this, values assume different connotations in a particular context. For

example, justice as a value involves being just in one’s dealings with people. It also means

commitment to social justice in general. Similarly, equality will have different connotations at teacher/

school, school and society level. As values are interlinked and can also have different interpretation


40

in different contexts, it is important to deal with the question of ‘what values’ in a particular a

frame of reference. Attempt has been made to outline certain ‘Core Value Concerns’ with a

cluster of attitudes and skills and the rationale for the same. Each school will identify values

required to be nurtured keeping in view their own priority of value concerns which will be

appropriate to their cultural conditions and settings. Each school can develop a clear vision and

charter of values to be included in their own mission statements which may otherwise remain

hidden and implicit as a matter of principle but not practice.

It is commonly expressed that the key values at school stage need to be anchored in the

framework of student’s holistic development as a human being and as a responsible member/

citizen of society as well as the ground realities in which the schools are placed.

From individual perspective the basic human values which are at the core of what it

means to be human need to be developed. Truth, honesty, loyalty, love, peace, etc. are examples

of basic values inherent in human nature. These values promote fundamental goodness of human

beings and society at large. These values are of ‘unifying nature’ and cut across individual’s social,

cultural, religious and sectarian interests. These considered to be universal timeless and eternal

applying to all human beings. There is considerable evidence to suggest that these human values

have stood the test of time and are essential for living in harmony with self, each other and Nature.

The idea of what values should be fostered through education has been best expressed

in the Constitution of India. The Indian Constitution has explicitly laid down fundamental duties of

its citizens in Article 51A, emphasizing that every Indian citizen would:

• Promote harmony and spirit of common brotherhood, transcending religious, linguistic and

regional or sectoral diversities; • renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;

• Value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture; • protect and improve the

natural environment;

• Develop the scientific temper;

• Abjure violence and

• Strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation

constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement’.

Inculcating Values through Education

It is imperative that we all from the society take a serious look at the education we are

imparting & make a conscious effort to inculcate best values in an individual from childhood. The

values which grand parents can teach and make them as routine to be followed should also be

given high priority; this is sadly missing due to our recent cultural changes where joint family


concept is fading. We have to bring in a change where an individual looks at the society as an

extension of family. Our commitment towards society should come from the heart.

Primary Education system should concentrate on the present trend of Teens preferring

computer games over playground sports, abuse of internet and getting attracted to vices. It was

pathetic to note that most of the educational systems do not include moral and ethical values in

their syllabus. Primary and secondary schools should include values and ethics as part of their

academic curriculum. Parents and teachers should lead by example and help children understand

the concept of ethics and values at a young age.

Suggestions to Inculcate Values

1. Central and State governments should adopt measures to introduce education in moral and

spiritual values on the lines recommended by the Secondary Education Commission.

2. Some periods should be set apart for moral instruction.

3. It is necessary to liberate the child from the compulsive chains of prescribed curriculum and

give the teacher and the learner freedom to evolve and develop curricula around their own

situation in initial stages of school education utilising the national guidelines to maintain basic

uniformity with pronounced flexibility.

4. A sense of belongingness must be developed amongst every individual learner by focussing

on Indian contribution to world civilisation. It is high time that Indian contribution in areas like

mathematics, sciences, maritime, medicine, trade, architecture, sculpture, establishment of

institutions of learning is emphasised and made known to the learners to develop a sense of

belongingness to the nation with respect and attachment to the past. That would give confidence

for greater performance and achievement in future.

5. Teacher preparation must ensure development of commitment amongst teachers. It is a

tough proposition when most of the other sectors are influenced by self interests and material

pursuits everywhere. However, teacher education needs to emphasise throughout in its

programme that teachers alone can kindle the spirit of value-based growth and development

and motivate other to lead their life with full commitment and adherence to common values

as imbibed in the constitution of India.

Conclusion

With all the limitations, deficiencies and rigidities inherent in our educational system and

functioning of the schools and other learning centres, transformation and overhaul of the system

has to be achieved only through the combined efforts of the teachers and the communities. A

value based approach must form the backbone of the educational system and also the teacher


42

education system. Effective and visible steps need to be launched by the teacher education

institutions and also schools at the earliest. The multiplied effects would be tremendous.

Bibliography

1) Luther, M. (2001). Values and ethics in school education. New Delhi: Mc Graw – Hill

2) Ruhela, S.P.. (2000). Values in modern Indian educational thought. NewDelhi: Indian

Publishers and Distributors

3) Sharma, S.R. (1998). Encyclopaedia of value and moral education .Vol. 5. New Delhi:

Cosmo Publications

4) Koikara, F. (1991). Culture and values. New Frontiers in Education, 2 1 (l), 32-41.

Websites:

••••• www.gyanamamritum.wordpress.com

••••• www.thehindu.com

••••• www.ncert.nic.in

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PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY OF THE UPPER PRIMARY PUPILS IN

MATHEMATICS IN RELATION TO THEIR ACHIEVEMENT

T S SubhashiniResearch Scholar, Department of Educatioln, Acharya Nagarjuna University, GUNTUR.

Introduction

Mathematics is considered as the queen of all sciences. Mathematics is no longer a

mere subject of study, but today it has become the foundation of the explosion in Scientific

Knowledge and as a language for communication and thought pro-cess. Mathematics has all

along not only been useful in its own right, but has also enriched the world by helping in development

of other fields of knowledge.

Butler and Wren (1960) have dealt extensively on the positive and motivational factors

that lead to the maximisation of the effectiveness of the teaching of the Mathemat-ics. It can be

said without any ambiguity , that students will work most diligently at a task in which they are

genuinely interested. Therefore an important task of a mathematics teacher is to arouse interest in

the learning of mathematics. One such factor that motivates students interest is the utilitarian value

of mathematics. A teacher can motivate the stu-dent highly, to learn mathematics profitably, by

showing them the endless possibilities of application of mathematics to business, to industry, to

agriculture, to medicine, to bio -technology and to serve the other fast developing professional

fields. When students can foresee clearly the possibility to choose and make a successful career

for themselves, they begin to evince keen interest in mathematics and its relational skills and

abilities. The ultimate mathematical skill and ability that the teaching of mathematics aims at in all

deversified attempts, is the development of generalised problem - solving ability in the students.

Teaching for problem solving and learning problem - solving skills therefore become the

primary and most important concerns of the teacher and the taught.

National Education Curriculum (1966) has considered and recom-mended “ Mathematics

as a compulsory subject for the student” The National Policy of Education (1986) also suggested

that mathematics should be visualized as the vehicle to train a child to think, analyze and articulate

logically”. One of the main objectives of teaching elementary mathematics is to enable the children

to solve verbal and numerical problems speedily and accurately, which they apply at home, in

school and in the community.

The Role of problem solving in teaching mathematics as a process :-


44

Problem solving is an important component of Mathematics Education because it is

the single vehicle which seems to be able to achieve at school level all three values of

mathematics, namely

1. Functional

2. Logical.

3. Aesthetic.

Recently the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics endorsed this recommendation

with the statement that problem solving should underly all aspects of Mathematics teaching in

order to give students the experience of the power of mathematics in the world around them.

They see problem solving as a vehicle for students to construct, evaluate and refine their own

theories about mathematics and the theories of others.

Students can become even more involved in problem solving by formulating and solving

their own problems or by rewriting problems in their own words in order to facilitate

betterunderstanding.

It is of particular importance to notice that the students are encouraged to discuss

the processes which they are undertaking,, in order to improve understanding, gain new in-

sights into the problem and communicate their ideas.

According to Polya (1957) problem solving involves the following four phases and

mental processes within each phase.

1. Understanding the Problem

> Restate the problem.

> Select the problem.

> Make a sketch (or) table.

2. Devising a Plain

> Look for a pattern.

> Make a simple problem.

> Make a guess and check it.

> Use approporiate lables.

3. Carrying out the Plan.

> Check special cases.

> Verify the details of the plan.


4. Looking back.

> Generalize.

Rationale of the Study

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM 1980 and 1990) have rec-

ommended that the mathematics curriculum should be organized around problem solving focussing

on.

1. Developing skills and the ability to apply these skills in unfamiliar situations.

2. Gathering, organizing, interpreting and communicating information.

3. Formulating key questions, analyzing and conceptualizing problems, defining problems and

goals descovering patterns and similarities seeking out appro problems and goals discovering

patterns and similarities, seeking out appropriate data, experimenting, transferring skills and

strategies to new situations.

4. Developing curiosity, confidence and open mindedness (NCTM, 1990, PP-2-3).

Problem solving is an essential but complex activity in Matehematics. One of the aims of

teaching mathematics is problem solving which helps students to construct a deep understand-ing

of mathematical ideas and process by engaging them in doing Mathematics creating, conjecturing,

exploring, testing and verifying. As we know, this society is a social entity, with a premium on

group behaviour and interaction. Student needs mental flexibility, critical thinking skills and problem

solving ability to survive in a rapidly changing world. This in-volves engaging students in discovering

how to analyses, synthesize make judgements and create new knowledge and to apply those

skills to real world situations. Teacher’s behaviour and method of teaching have, both direct and

indirect effects on critical thinking and problem solving abilities of student. If the children are

encouraged to make generaliza-tion by their own discoveries of mathematilcal relations rather

than to follow rules presented by the teacher, they will be better prepared for problem solving. If

the children are taught mathematics in a meaningful way, so that they understand the structure and

basic postulates and concepts of mathematics, they will be better prepared for problem solving.

The children should be given the opportunity from the very beginning to write equations for verbal

statements so that the end of the primary stage the child would develop proficiency in problem

solving ability.

Any mathematical curriculum and its transaction become meaningful and fruitful, only

when students are able to apply at least some of the mathematical concepts in their daily life.

Hence there is a need to assess how far children possess problem solving ability in mathematics.


46

Operational Definitions

Problem Solving Ability

The quality of being able to perform the problem to be solved, gathering relevant

information, analyzing the information and being aware of and evaluat-ing the acticipated awareness.

Upper primary students :

Upper primary consists of standards one to seven, the terminal stage of upper pri-mary

level is seventh standard.

Statement of the Problem

Problem-Solving Ability of the Upper Primary Pupils in Mathematics in Relation to their

Achievement.

Research Questions

a) To what extent do students possess the problem solving ability to solve verbal problems in

Mathematics.

b) Do students who perform better in mathematics achievement test have higher problem solving

ability ?

c) Is there a variation in problem sloving ability of students with different variables i.e,

Gender, Type of School, Locality, Educational Background of the parents. Objectives :-

1. To find out the extent of verbal problem solving ability of upper primary students and

to classify them.

2. To find out the summative achievement of mathematics of upper primary students and

to classify them.

3. To find out the variation in problem solving ability in mathematics of students basing on

a) Gender.

b) Locality.

c) Type of School.

d) Educational background of parents.

4. To find out the association between summative mathematics acievement and problem

solving ability.

Hypotheses

1. There would be no significant difference in problem solving ability of upper primary

students.


2. There would be no significant co-relation between summative achievement and problem

solving ability in mathematics of the upper primary students.

3. There would be no significant difference in the problem solving ability of the upper

primary students.

a) Boys and Girls.

b) Rural and Urban.

c) Government and Private Schools

d) Educational background of parents.

e) With tuitions ad without tutions.

Selection of Sample

Stratified cluster random sample technique was used with a sample of 183 students.

Tools Used

Verbal problem solving ability test was constructed by following the standardized pro-

cedure. The reliability of the test is 0.8.

Quarterly, Halfyearly examination scores of students in mathematics were collected and

Mean scores were calculated and they were treated as summative achievement scores in

Mathematics.

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

Table 1

Percentage of Problem Solving Ability

Sample Mean S.D %

183 63.09 14.45 36.47

Table 2

Percentage of Level of Problem Solving Ability

S.No Level Score Frequency %

1 Low 0-35 68 37.15

2. Moderate 35-70 72 39.34

3. High 70-105 43 23.49


48

From Table 1 and Table 2, the percentage of problem solving ability is 36.47% and the

percentage of level of problem solving ability of the students at low level is 37.15% at moder-ate

level the percentage is 39.34% and at high level the percentage is 23.49%. Hence it can be

concluded that most of the students have moderate problem solving ability.

Table 3

Co-relation of Problem Solving Ability and Achievement in Mathematics

S.No Variables Mean S.D r

t

15.64

1. Problem Solving

Ability 63.09 14.45

0.85

2. Achievement in

Mathematics 68.10 12.26

Interpretation

The coefficient of correlation between verbal problem solving ability and

achievement in mathematics is 0.85%. This shows that the relationship between two

variable is positive and high. The co-efficient of correlation at 0.085 resulted in a’t’ of

15.64 which is greater than critical value of 13.37 at 0.001 level. So the null hypothesis is

rejected. Hence it is concluded that the problem solving ability of student is dependent on

their achievement i n mathematics. Table 4 :- Problem solving ability with respect to different

variables.

S.No. Variables Group N Mean Mean t

1. Locality Rural 88 33.16 19.36 0.98

Urban 95 29.93 25.09

2. Gender Boys 100 29.65 21.97 1.203

Girls 83 33.69 23.10

3. Type of School Govt. 122 26.43 24.19 5.315

Private 61 41.58 14.23

4. Educational status of

parents

Literatae 135 34.44 22.50 3.193

llleterate 48 23.17 20.30

5. Assistance re-

ceived in tutorials

Tutions 128 41.89 26.89 8.58

Others 55 28.93 18.35


Interpretation

From table 4 it may be observed that the difference between the means of the

rural and urban students resulted in a t value is 0.98 which is not significant at 0.05 level.

Therefore the null hypothesis could not be rejected. It can be concluded that rural and

urban students do not differ in their problem solving ability. The difference between the means

of the boy and girl students resulted in L- value 1.203 which is less than the critical value of 1.96

at 0.05 level of significance. The null hypothesis is accepted. Hence it is concluded that boy and

girl students do not differ in their problem solving ability. The difference between the means of the

private and Government school students resulted in t value 5.315 which is greater than the critical

value. Therefore hypothesis is rejected. The difference between the means of the literate and

illeterate parents of the students resulted in a t value 3.197 which is greater than the table value.

Hence null hypothesis is rejected. It clearly indicated that prob-lem solving abillity of the students

is influenced by their parental educational status. The difference between the means of the students

receiving tuitions and others resulted in at value of 8.58 which is greater than the critical value oft.

Therefore null hypothesis is rejected.

Findings of the Study

Most of the students had shown difficulties in solving problems in mathematics. They

have shown inability,

1) To convert the verbal statements into mathematical form.

2) To express the data in the. form of simple equations.

3) Difficulty in understanding the concepts and principles and relationships in-volved in the

problem. Such a situation may be due to in appropriate strategies adopted by the teachers to

teach the different kinds of knowledge, which forms the basis for solving problems. The

present study clearly brought to light the fact that irrespective of school, locality or gender,

the problem solving ability in mathematics in the students is not upto the expected level.

Educational Implications

••••• The students should be made to acquire the knowledge and skills for solving problems in

mathmatics vis-a-vis problems in daily life situations.

••••• With regard to verbal problems the teacher should make the students to analyse the given

data and what is to be done verbally and also in mathematical language.

••••• The problem - solving ability of the students should be enriched by providing situa-tions

requiring discovery of mathematical knowledge and application of knowledge and skills in

mathematics as a daily life competence to solve problems.


50

••••• Oral discussion during solving the problem may help the learner identify the basic procedures

for problem solving.

••••• After a problem has been solved, checking on the answer reached may help in developing

the ability to solve problems using alternative methods or procedure.

Biblography

1. Ashlock, R.B, and Herman Jr. W.L, Current Research in Elementary School

Mathematics, 1970.

2. Henderson, K.B, and pingry, R.E., “ Problem solving in Mathematics “

3. Lawrence, A “ Fundamental Concepts of Elementary Mathematics “ New Delhi,

Presitce Hall of India (pvt) Ltd.,

4. Shankaran V. “ Challenging problems in Mathematics for classes VII and VIII,

Chennai, 1998.

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SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS

P. Prashanti Madhuri LathaLecturer, SJCE and Research Scholar, ANU.

Introduction

Science has occupied almost all spheres of human life and living. Our society

is completely drawn into the scientific environment. Now mankind cannot think of a world

without science. The wonderful achievements of science have glorified the modern world,

transformed the modern civilization into a scientific civilization and illuminated the human creative

potential.

The study of science has several other disciplinary values. For instance science is an

interest awaking subject and its pursuit demands persistant efforts, diligence and patience. Any

experimentation in science requires keen observation, concentration of mind as well as accurate

representation of facts. There is no place for prejudice or bias in science. Scientific pursuits

warrant objective observation and impartial judgement. Enagement in any scientific activity, be it

theoretical or experimental, pre-supposes, intellectual honesty, perseverance, concentration of

mind and broad-mindedness. In science we do not conclude or predict anything on the basis of

superstition, traditional belief or hearsay, unless the facts are based on proof. In science there is

no place for sentiment or emotions except rationality. A scientific result to be acceptable must be

valid for all cases.

According to Brincheno (2000) scientific attitude will be positive when students learn

it from their own experience by involving in an activity where they can compelety take part in it.

Building a scientific attitude, helps students have a chance to gain a balanced development between

intellectual, emotional and social aspects. Encyclopedia (1963) has emphasised that science is

an accumulated and systematized learning in general usage restricted to natural phenomenon.

The progess of scince is marked not only by an accumulation of facts, but by the

emergence of scientific method and of the scientific attitude’’ The National policy on Education

(NPE) in 1986 has emphasized the generation of scientific attitude among the students through

curriculum and teacher. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in

1971 conducted a workshop at Chandigarh and identified some behaviours exhibited by pupils

who have developed a scientific attitude These behaviors include:

••••• Clarity and precision in their statements and activites

••••• Judgement based on verified facts.

••••• Always willing to consider new ideas and discoveries.


52

••••• Free from all types of superstitions.

••••• Objective in their approach.

••••• Honest and truthful recording and collection of scientific data.

••••• Suspend judgement if data is insufficient.

••••• Reacts favorably to efforts made to use science for human welfare.

••••• Replace the apparatus and materials in their proper places at the end of the work taken up.

Scientific attitude is really a complex of a number of tendencies to react consistently in

certain ways to a new or challenging situation. The attributes of scientific attitude are rationality ,

open mindedness, curiosity, objectivity, intellectual honesty, aversion to superstitions and suspended

judgement.

1. Rationality

Rationality means the quality or condition of being rational. Rationality is normally defined

as giving reasons for actions or for holding beliefs. Rationality is the process of using reason or

logic to solve a problem. A rational person will always test traditional beliefs for reason and

always checks the cause effect relationship.

2. Curiosity

Curiosity is an inherent ability of many living beings. It is one of the basics emotions

because it can be expressed in a present way and like any inherent capability,it confers a survival

advantage to certain species and can be found in their genomes.

3. Open-Mindedness

Open –mindedness means having a mind receptive to new ideas and arguments. Open

–mindedness is an intellectual virtue that involves a willingness to take relevant evidence and

arguments into account informing or revising our beliefs and values especially when there is some

reason why we might resist such evidence and argument in a view to arriving at true and defendable

conclusions. An open mind person is willing to differ to impartial investigations rather than to his

own predilections.

4. Aversion to Superstitious Belief

A superstition is the belief that events are influenced by the specific behaviours without

having a causal relationship. A scientist rejects superstition and prefers science paradigms out of

an appreciation for the power of reality based knowledge.


5. Objectivity and Intellectual Honesty

Objectivity is a form of intellectual honesty in research. We let nature speak for itself

without imposing our wishes on it.We report the results of the experimentation with the maximum

possible accuracy and interpret them as fairly as possible.

6. Suspended Judgement

All scientist maintain an attitude of doubt or suspended judgement about science ideas.

The subject matter of science has been described as judgements on which it is possible to obtain

universal agreement. These judgements are the invariable association of events or properties

which are known as the laws of science.

7. Need and Significance of the Study

Science helps us to understand the life, society and the world around us systematically.

If the students are made aware of science and its significance in lives, it would go a long way in

creating sustainable life styles. Most of the vocations are science based and irrespective of the

choice of vocations knowledge of science is important to the modern day citizen. The scientific

attitude which is an outcome of science education during schooling is an important outcome of

science teaching. Developing scientific attitude is one of the main goals of science education.

Science education today must be relevant and functional. The knowledge, competencies

and skills of science on the one hand will help to develop powerful scientific and technological

man power and on the other hand will develop in all the citizens a scientific attitude that will help

in living a meaningful life in the modern world.

Title of the Study

Scientific Attitude of the Secondary School Pupils.

Operational Definitions of the Key Terms

The components of the scientific attitudes identified for the study are rationality,

curiosity,open-mindedness, Aversion to superstitions, Objectivity in intellectual honesty and

suspended judgement.


1. To find out the level of scientific attitude of secondary school pupils and classify them.

2. To find out the scientific attitude in the following areas

a) Curiosity -3

b) Open mindedness -6


54

c) Faith in scientific method -6

d) Cause and effect relationship -2

e) Seeks evidence – 4

f) Objectivity -4

g) Suspended judgement -1

h) Aversion to superstition -3

3. To find out whether secondary school boys and girls differ in their scientific attitude.

4. To find out whether the secondary school pupils of urban and rural area differ in their scientific

attitude.

5. To find out whether the secondary school pupils of English and Telugu medium differs in their

scientific attitude.


1. The scientific attitude of secondary school pupils would be moderate.

2. There would be no significant difference between boys and girls of secondary school in their


3. There would be no significant difference between urban and rural of secondary school pupils

in their scientific attitude.

4. There would be no significant difference between English and Telugu medium secondary

school pupils in their scientific attitude.

Sample

The population for the study consisted of 200 students studying 9th class in the high

schools in Krishna and Guntur districts.

The sample was drawn using stratified random sampling technique giving due reprentation

to different strata i.e., gender, local and types of medium.

Tools

For the purpose of measuring scientific attitude the investigator used the tool prepared

Dr.SG.Gakhar and Dr. Aamdeep Kaur. This is 5 point scale. The tool consists of 120 statements.

The researcher has taken 30 questions which were relevant for the study. Out of them 23 statements

are positively stated and 7 statements are negatively stated. Each statement suggests marks

54321. Each statement has been provided with 5 responses - strongly agree, agree, undecided,

Disagree and Strongly Disagree


Reliability and Validity

The reliability co-efficient of the scientific attitude scale between two test scores was

found to be 0.70.

This co-efficient fairly high testifies the soundness of the scale.

9 dimensions of scientific attitude scale are found to be 0.76 , 0.86 , 0.80 , 0.73 , 0.72,

0.73 , 0.70 and 0.82 respectively. These high co-efficients reflect the strength of each dimension

of measuring the scientific attitude.

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

Objective 1

To find out the level of scientific attitude of secondary school pupils and to classify it.

N MEAN % OF MEAN S.D

1000 121.6 81.0 11.4

Interpretation

Mean for the whole sample (1000) is 121.6 and standard deviation 11.7 and the

percentage of mean is 81. The scientific attitude of 9th class students is less favorable .

Objective 2

Scientific Attitude Mean, % Mean, S.D. – Area Wise

SL.NO AREA N M % S.D

1 Curiosity 15 12.9 86.3 2.18

2 Open mindedness 30 22.9 76.5 3.16

3 Faith in scientific method 30 22.7 75.6 3.42

4 Cause and effect relationship 10 9.4 90.6 1.26

5 Critical mindedness 5 3.47 69.4 1.04

6 Seeks Evidence 20 17.5 87.8 2.2

7 Objectivity 20 17.3 86.8 3.4

8 Suspended judgement 5 4.1 82.6 1022

9 Aversion to superstition 15 14.9 99.3 0.65

Moderate favorable


56

Interpretation

The investigator found that all the 2000 secondary school pupils in the 8 areas of

scientific attitude were more favorable .. one area, aversion to superstition is most favorable in


Objective 3

Gender Wise Scientific Attitude in Secondary School Pupils – Gender Wise

Sl.No. Gender N Mean S.D S.ED t

1 Boys 500 120.94 9.9 0.694 1.96

2 Girls 500 122.3 11.9

Significant at 0.05 level

From the table the following observation could be made. The scientific attitude in boys

mean 120.94 , S.D 11.9. Respectively the calculated value is 1.96. t value is not significant.

There is significant difference in the scientific attitude of boys and girls. The mean of girls is more

than scientific attitude of girls is higher than that of boys, but it is not significant. Hypothesis is

accepted.

(b) Scientific Attitude in Secondary School Pupils - Locality Wise

Sl.No Variable N Mean S.D S.ED T

1 Urban 520 122.19 11.2 0.676 2.07

2 Rural 480 120.79 10.2

From the above table the following observations could be made.

The mean of 520 urban students is 122.19 and S.d is 11.2.

The mean of 480 rural students 120.79 and S.d is 10.2.

SED is 0.672.

t value is 2.07.

t value is significant.

There is a significant difference in the scientific attitude of urban students and rural

students. The scientific attitude of urban students is higher than that of rural students.

Hence the hypothesis is rejected.


(c) Medium Instruction Wise Scientific Attitude in Secondary School Pupils

Sl.No Medium N Mean S.D S.Ed t

1 English 360 124.6 10.16 0.670 6.

2 Telugu 640 120.5 10.26

Significant at 0.05 level

From the above table it can be observed that the mean of 360 English medium

students 124.6 and S.D is 10.16

S.Ed is 0.670

t value is 6.12

t value is significant

There is significant difference in the scientific attitude of Telugu and English medium

student.

As the mean of English medium students is more the scientific attitude of English

medium students is higher than that of Telugu medium students.

Thus the hypothesis is rejected.

Conclusion

On the basis of the results obtained during the investigation, the following findings have

been drawn.

1. There was moderate level of scientific attitude in secondary school students.

2. There was a significant difference in the level of scientific attitude of boys and girls in

secondary schools.

3. There was a significant difference in the level of scientific attitude of urban and rural

secondary schools.

4. There was a significant difference in the level of scientific attitude of English and Telugu

medium secondary school students.

On the basis of the findings of the study of a few educational implications of the study

may be indicated as follows.

1. The programs for developing scientific attitude among the school students such as selected

reading, questions, and answers, discussions, role play, science quiz, science exhibition,

dramatization, interactions with experts in the field should be arranged.


58

How to Develop the Scientific Attitude

The sole responsibility of developing scientific attitude in the students lies on the

teacher who can manipulate all the situations and at the same time present himself as an example

to the students for intellectual honesty, respect for others points of view, unbiased and impartial

behavior in his dealings and the like. This will create a favorable and permanent impression on the

students to adopt the same attitude which their teacher has however the teacher can also develop

scientific attitude in the students through

A) Curriculum

B) Physical

C) Opportunities for practical work etc.

D) Facilities

A large majority of the schools are of the view that an enthusiastic teacher can help in

developing scientific attitude through the curriculum. The teacher should suggest projects which

give the pupils training in problem solving. Curtis is of the opinion that pupils who engage in wide

reading in general science develop scientific attitude more than those who read only one text

book.

Democratic atmosphere in the class-room also helps in developing certain desirable

attitudes in the students.

References

••••• Bennet New Yort Continuum

••••• Nation Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) 1971, Developing course out

line for the teaching of Science in the Teacher Education Curriculum.

••••• Brichenop Johnson J. and Seras J Zoo Children’s Attitude to Science

••••• Divya K.K, Dr. P. Usha - International Journal of Education and Research Scientific Attitude

to Achievement among Secondary School Students

••••• A Comparative Study of Scientific Attitude of Higher Secondary Level Students of Science.

••••• Bhaskara Rao Digumarti - Scientific Attitude.

W

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