Impact of a Social Constructivist Instructional Strategy on Performance in Algebra with a Focus on Secondary School Students

Table 1

Sample questions on the algebra performance test.

Subtheme	Sample questions
Simple quadratic equations	(3) What must be added to to make the expression a perfect square?; (a) (b) (c) (d); (5) Find the sum and product of the roots of the equation; (a) (3, 2) (b) (4, 4) (c) (3, 3) (d) (5, 2)
Simultaneous linear and quadratic equations	(7) Solve the simultaneous equations; (a) (b); (c) (d); (9) Seven cups and eight plates cost N 1750. Eight cups and seven plates cost N 1700. Calculate the cost of a cup and a plate.; (a) cup = N  100: plate =N 120 (b) cup =N 70: plate =N 130; (c) cup =N 90: plate =N 140 (d) cup =N 190: plate =N 240
Linear inequalities	(14) Given that is an integer, find the three greatest values of which satisfy the inequality; (a) (b) (c) (d); (18) Solve the following inequality; (a) (b) (c) (d)
The gradient of a curve	(20) Find the coordinates of the points where the line represented by the equation crosses the axes; (a) (b); (c) (d); (24) The gradient at any point on a curve is defined as; (a) The centre of a point; (b) The distance from that point; (c) The point and the distance; (d) The gradient of the tangent to the curve at that point
Algebraic fractions	(29) Solve the equation; (a) (b) (c) (d); (30) The value of x for which the fraction is undefined is; (a) (b) (c) (d)