Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions of Resources and Curriculum Availability in Post-Apartheid Schooling

This study explored similarities and differences in mathematics teaching and learning between public and private schools in post-apartheid South Africa. These conditions are viewed through the perceptions of mathematics teachers who navigate these two distinct spaces. This investigation was conducted during a cultural immersion component of a study abroad experience in Johannesburg, South Africa which targeted the examination of a township school in juxtaposition with a university sponsored magnet school. The study poses the question “what are the perceptions of South African mathematics teachers regarding resources, student population and curriculum availability among neighboring schools?” Using critical theory as a framework to promote critical consciousness and to break down the institutional structures that continue to persist long after the apartheid, we employ the use of an exploratory case study to investigate these insights. Data was triangulated using the following methods; observations, interviews, and researcher reflections. As a result of our analysis, major themes in both settings emerged encompassing teachers’ issues with time management, segregation of English as second language learners, and pressures felt by unreasonable expectations for mathematics curricula. This research will contribute to the field as implications for future investigation rest in the exploration of miscellany of mathematics curriculum among schools in South Africa.