Perceptions of secondary school mathematics teachers and the challenges faced in implementing grade 9 curriculum: A case of two schools in Lesotho

Ntebatsoana Ntereke; Maboi Mphunyane

doi:10.29333/mathsciteacher/16060

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Ntebatsoana Ntereke ¹ , Maboi Mphunyane ² ^*

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¹ Makhaola High School, Qacha’s Nek, LESOTHO² National University of Lesotho, Roma, LESOTHO^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The recent curriculum reform in Lesotho included localization of the secondary school curriculum, part of which meant a shift from a 5-year to a 4-year program. This affected the mathematics curriculum in terms of what was to be taught at different levels, thus affecting teacher preparedness for implementing the new curriculum. This study seeks to investigate the challenges faced by the teachers of mathematics in implementing the Lesotho general certificate of education mathematics curriculum in grade 9, and the perceptions that the teachers have about this curriculum. A qualitative case study approach was employed. Interviews, classrooms observations and document analysis were used for data collection. Data was analyzed thematically. Results indicate the challenges teachers experienced which included inadequate training for the reform, lack of monitoring and insufficient resources; leading teachers to mostly using teacher-centered approaches in their classrooms. These results suggest that teachers need capacitation for curriculum reform implementation.

Keywords

LGCSE mathematics
curriculum implementation
perceptions
challenges

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher, Volume 5, Issue 2, 2025, Article No: em080

https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16060

Publication date: 01 Apr 2025

Online publication date: 26 Feb 2025

Article Views: 108

Article Downloads: 62

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How to cite this article

APA

Ntereke, N., & Mphunyane, M. (2025). Perceptions of secondary school mathematics teachers and the challenges faced in implementing grade 9 curriculum: A case of two schools in Lesotho. Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher, 5(2), em080. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16060

Vancouver

Ntereke N, Mphunyane M. Perceptions of secondary school mathematics teachers and the challenges faced in implementing grade 9 curriculum: A case of two schools in Lesotho. Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher. 2025;5(2):em080. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16060

AMA

Ntereke N, Mphunyane M. Perceptions of secondary school mathematics teachers and the challenges faced in implementing grade 9 curriculum: A case of two schools in Lesotho. Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher. 2025;5(2), em080. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16060

Chicago

Ntereke, Ntebatsoana, and Maboi Mphunyane. "Perceptions of secondary school mathematics teachers and the challenges faced in implementing grade 9 curriculum: A case of two schools in Lesotho". Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher 2025 5 no. 2 (2025): em080. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16060

Harvard

Ntereke, N., and Mphunyane, M. (2025). Perceptions of secondary school mathematics teachers and the challenges faced in implementing grade 9 curriculum: A case of two schools in Lesotho. Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher, 5(2), em080. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16060

MLA

Ntereke, Ntebatsoana et al. "Perceptions of secondary school mathematics teachers and the challenges faced in implementing grade 9 curriculum: A case of two schools in Lesotho". Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher, vol. 5, no. 2, 2025, em080. https://doi.org/10.29333/mathsciteacher/16060