Teacher Training College Student Performance in Statistics and Probability Exams in Rwanda

Abstract

Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) were established in order to produce qualified primary teachers in Rwanda. However, reviews on primary teacher training have consistently highlighted serious shortcomings in the quality and relevance of the courses offered. They argue for poor alignment of the teacher training curriculum with the school curriculum and lack of teaching experience of tutors. In this paper, we analyse TTC students’ performance in statistics and probability and compare their performance in these specific areas with other mathematics topics areas. This is done through analysing their success rate in questions related to statistics and probability in national examinations over the period 2014-2016. Pearson coefficient reveals no relationship between students’ performance in statistics and probability and other topic areas. Furthermore, some students performed better in other areas of mathematics but failed in statistics and probability questions and vice-versa. Although students are trained to  teach mathematics in primary schools, they still poorly perform in national examinations, thus hypothetically leading to poorly teach this subject in primary education.

Key words: Probability, statistics, students’ performance, Teacher Training Colleges