Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of manipulatives (concrete learning materials) both on the academic achievement of secondary school students in mathematics and on their attitudes towards mathematics. Pretest-posttest control group experimental model, which is one of the quasi-experimental research designs, was used in the study. The study group consisted of 48 seventh grade students (24 in experiment group and 24 in control group) studying in a state school in the Southeastern Region of Turkey in 2014-2015 school year. The ages of students range between 13 and 14. Mathematics achievement test and mathematics attitude scale were applied in order to collect the research data. As a result of the research, posttest mathematics academic achievement scores of experiment and control groups were found to differ significantly in favor of posttests in both groups. The scores of attitude towards mathematics for experiment and control groups were significantly different in posttests in favor of the experiment group.
Highlights
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of manipulatives both on the academic achievement of secondary school students in mathematics and on their attitudes towards mathematics
Constructivism, which underlies the mathematics curriculum for elementary education revised in 2005-2006 school year, is a student-focused approach based on construction of complex structures of knowledge by students through active interrelation with concrete materials and on interpreting abstract mathematical concepts by means of concrete experiences (Bruner, 1977; Dienes, 1971; Piaget, 1965; White, 2012), as opposed to traditional mathematics instruction
According to the findings of those studies, it was observed that manipulatives increase the mathematics achievement (Clements, 1999; Kayma, 2010; Sowell, 1989; Tuncer, 2008)
Summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of manipulatives (concrete learning materials) both on the academic achievement of secondary school students in mathematics and on their attitudes towards mathematics. According to Piaget (1965), students cannot understand and learn the abstract mathematical concepts presented in form of words and symbols solely by way of direct explanation; they do not have the necessary cognitive maturity for it That is why, he argues that it is possible for students to learn abstract mathematical concepts as a result of their experiences with concrete objects and concrete materials. He argues that it is possible for students to learn abstract mathematical concepts as a result of their experiences with concrete objects and concrete materials Another reason why students ask questions as to the use of abstract mathematics concepts in daily life is the fact that the students in elementary level are in a phase between concrete operational (ages 7-11) and formal operational stages (ages 11-15) according to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (1965). Considering the developmental properties of students of that age group together with the features of mathematics as a discipline, it would be easier to appreciate the importance of employing concrete learning materials, in other words the manipulatives, in mathematics instruction
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