Abstract
Pattern activities have a crucial role in supporting early academic and language skills related to cognitive development, as they play a key role in understanding mathematical ideas and relationships, and in understanding the order, logic and concepts of mathematics. From this point of view, the research was conducted to investigate the effect of the Pattern-based Mathematics Education Program on the early academic and language skills of 61-72-month- old preschoolers. Quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was used in the study. Forty children, 20 for the experiment and 20 for the control group, constituted the sample. In the experimental and control groups, there were 61-72-month-old children who had not received any special mathematics education and were showing normal developmental characteristics; while attending one of the pre-school education centers in two different campuses of a public university in Besiktas and Esenler districts in the city of Istanbul, Turkey. In the study, General Information Form and Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills” were used as data collection tools. A total of eight weeks 'Pattern-based Mathematics Education Program' was applied to the children in the experimental group, five days a week. Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills was administered as pre-test and post-test to the experimental and control groups. The same test was given to the experimental group as retention test three weeks after the post-test. In this study, which was limited to the activities presented in the Pattern-based Mathematics Education Program, it was determined that the Pattern-based Mathematics Education Program was effective in supporting the early academic and language skills of 61-72 month old preschoolers. Key words: Pattern skills, early academic and language skills, early mathematics education, early childhood education.
Highlights
The essence of mathematics lies in relationships and transformations that lead to patterns and generalizations (Warren, 2005)
Pattern activities have a crucial role in supporting early academic and language skills related to cognitive development, as they play a key role in understanding mathematical ideas and relationships, and in understanding the order, logic and concepts of mathematics
In this study, which was limited to the activities presented in the Pattern-based Mathematics Education Program, it was determined that the Pattern-based Mathematics Education Program was effective in supporting the early academic and language skills of 61-72 month old preschoolers
Summary
The essence of mathematics lies in relationships and transformations that lead to patterns and generalizations (Warren, 2005). Pattern has been defined as noticeable levels of powerful arrangements with numbers, words and figures (Birken and Coon, 2008); the number associated with each other is defined as the fact that space or measurement variables contain predictable regularity (Mulligan and Mitchelmore, 2013) At this point, patterns emphasize the existence of an order and rule in mathematics (Billstein et al, 2016). On the side of individuals, patterns are discovered in four stages: recognizing the pattern, defining the pattern, continuing the pattern and producing a new pattern as the final stage (Copley, 2000; Smith, 2009) Steps such as recognition, continuation and creation of patterns are very important capabilities in seeing mathematical relations, making generalizations and understanding the layout of mathematics (Burns, 2015). With the help of such process, children are able to notice, identify, continue the existing pattern and produce a new one (Charlesworth and Lind, 2007; Copley, 2000; Smith, 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
