Abstract

With the current concern for the computational proficiency of students in our schools, it is important to examine the merits of specific algorithmic methods. Wheatley (1976) identified two column-addition algorithms that are widely used: a Direct (D) method (adding directly down the column) and a Tens (T) method (looking for combinations that add to ten). Arguments have been advanced for the superiority of each method. The Direct method is often recommended for its supposedly greater accuracy (Marks, Purdy, Kinney & Hiatt, 1975; Chesin & Quast, 1970), whereas the Tens method is considerered faster (Collier & Lerch, 1969; Locke, 1972). Wheatley (1976) tested these assertions in a study with 92 fourth-grade pupils and found the Direct method to be 17% faster than the Tens method and just as accurate.

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