Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effects of remedial instruction on low-SES & low-math first graders’ basicmathematics competence as well as their interest and confidence in mathematics learning. Fourteen participantsof low-SES & low-math were selected from two classes totaling fifty-seven first graders at a public elementaryschool in central Taiwan. Results show that remedial instruction conducted during the study successfullyimproved the low-SES & low-math students’ mathematics competence and enhanced their interest andconfidence in mathematics. Remedial instruction in the form of story contexts conducted through small groupcollaboration with manipulatives appeared to improve low-SES & low-math students’ mathematics learning.Implications related to remedial instruction for low-SES & low-math students are discussed.
Highlights
1.1 Introduce the ProblemMathematics for all has been internationally considered a key issue of mathematics education (Deschenes, Cuban, & Tyack, 2001; Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001; NCTM, 2000)
Results indicate that low-social economic status (SES) & low-math students receiving remedial instruction scored significantly higher on the Mathematics Interest and Confidence (MIC) and Basic mathematics competence test (BMCT) in the posttest than in the pretest via t-test (p< .05), which implies that remedial instruction was effective and helpful in promoting low-SES & low-math students’ mathematics interest and confidence as well as mathematical competence
These results indicate that the remedial instruction has a positive effect on interest and confidence in mathematics as well as their basic mathematics learning for the low-SES & low-math students
Summary
1.1 Introduce the ProblemMathematics for all has been internationally considered a key issue of mathematics education (Deschenes, Cuban, & Tyack, 2001; Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001; NCTM, 2000). The population of Taiwanese students in low social economic status (SES) families with a low performance in mathematics continues to increase (Ministry of Education Taiwan, 2010). Results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) (OECD, 2009) do show that 15-year-old students in Taiwan performed at the top on mathematics tests; there still are a high percentage of these students that belong to the low mathematics achievers. The results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) show a big gap exists between high-SES and low-SES in Taiwan (Akiba, LeTendre, & Scribner, 2007; Mullis, Martin, Gonzalez, & Chrostowski, 2004; Mullis, Martin & Pierre, 2009). Data show that many low achievers, especially in mathematics, are from low-SES families, they need extra help to promote their mathematics ability (Ministry of Education Taiwan [MET], 2010)
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