Curtis, Amanda Curtis_MED_2020

Title Curtis, Amanda Curtis_MED_2020
Alternative Title THE USE OF MANIPULATIVES IN MATHEMATICS CLASSROOMS: AN EXAMINATION OF TEACHER PERCEPTIONS
Creator Curtis, Amanda
Collection Name Master of Education
Description Students in the United States continue to perform poorly on standardized tests in mathematics. Students struggling with the depth of understanding needed for secondary mathematics are unprepared for collegiate mathematics and either revert to rudimentary mathematics courses or forgo college. Helping students to develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts in order to be more successful mathematicians necessitates changing traditional instructional methodology. Incorporating mathematical manipulatives into instruction supports the idea of allowing students multiple representations of mathematical concepts which facilitates deep mathematical understanding. This descriptive survey-based study sought to understand teacher perception of manipulatives, the frequency of manipulative use, and barriers to implementing manipulatives. Participants included teachers attending a training specific to manipulative implementation. The data supported a change in teacher perception of manipulatives after receiving instruction. The post-training results showed teachers found manipulatives not only to be engaging for students but necessary for student learning. Despite barriers such as time, teacher knowledge of manipulative use, and behavioral issues, teacher comments supported implementation. While additional research is needed to further understand the implications of this change in teacher perception, the research is encouraging in that teachers are willing to change their teaching practices to incorporate manipulatives into their classrooms and work to aid their students in achieving a deeper understanding of mathematics.
Subject Education--Evaluation; Education--Research--Methodology; Educational tests and measurements
Keywords Standardized testing; Mathematics; Manipulatives
Digital Publisher Stewart Library, Weber State University
Date 2020
Language eng
Rights The author has granted Weber State University Archives a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce their theses, in whole or in part, in electronic or paper form and to make it available to the general public at no charge. The author retains all other rights.
Source University Archives Electronic Records; Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Stewart Library, Weber State University
OCR Text Show
Format application/pdf
ARK ark:/87278/s649p6tc
Setname wsu_smt
ID 96818
Reference URL https://digital.weber.edu/ark:/87278/s649p6tc