Trends in Mathematics Professional Development Programmes in Post-Apartheid South Africa

This paper reports on a pilot study on Mathematics Continuous Professional Development (MCPD) programmes in the post-apartheid era South Africa. The study examined current practices in mathematics professional development programmes and the challenges practitioners experience in the implementation of such programmes. The study involved five of the nine provinces in South Africa and the population of the study was 55 that consisted of teachers, principals, subject advisors, district officials, ministry of education and service providers. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and interviews which were analysed using qualitative methods. The study found that the implementation of MCPD programmes was characterized by different factors such as relations between labour unions and the employer, the political legacy of the country and others. The study also established that different participating groups experienced different challenges regarding the implementation of MCPD programmes. The findings from this pilot study were also useful in the modification of some of the research instruments for main data collection.