Resumo

CAMMAROTO; MARTINS, Feliberto  e  PALELLA, Santa. ANALYSIS OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES USED BY THE MATHEMATICS PROFESSORS. CASE: SIMÓN BOLÍVAR UNIVERSITY . COAST CAMPUS. Investigación y Postgrado [online]. 2003, vol.18, n.1, pp.71-85. ISSN 1316-0087.

The research is conceived in the Education-University-Society concept. Its basic purpose was to analyze the instructional strategies used by the mathematics professors at Simón Bolívar University ’s Coast campus. To that end, a diagnosis was made of the teaching techniques, activities and learning tools used in the mathematics classes. As regards the learning process, the study was grounded in the principles of the Constructivism (Kilpatrick (1995), cognitive psychology and instructional strategies (Szczurek (1989). The methodology used was that of descriptive field research, with a non-experimental design. The sample consisted of the 13 mathematics professors and 90 students taking courses in that discipline. A questionnaire-based survey was applied, one aimed at the students and another at the professors. Both were validated by expert judgment and the reliability of both instruments was determined through a pilot test using Cronbach’s Alpha statistic. Given results obtained and the contrast of information, it became clear that the instructional strategy used by most professors it is the exposition (lecture class); in response, the students follow the patterns of traditional education; they observe and listen the professor and go no further than to take notes; and the instructional materials used in class are the blackboard and theoretical-practical study booklets.

Palavras-chave : instructional strategies; mathematics area; higher education.