The effectiveness of manipulative materials int teaching mathematics at primary level

Abstract

This research, entitled “Effectiveness of Manipulative Materials in Teaching Mathematics at Primary Level”, is an experimental research in nature. The researcher evaluated the effectiveness of manipulative materials (algebraic tiles) in teaching mathematics (algebra) at primary level (grade V) selecting two comparable groups (experimental group & control group) of the students from a public school. The researcher chose 20/20 students in each group by random selection of tossing coin from the 40 sample students of grade V of the school. For this study, the pre-test, post-test & non-equivalent group design was adopted. Both groups were studied under the identical objectives, where experimental group wataught by using manipulative material and control group was taught by only drawing diagram on board in order to develop the concepts. The main objective of this study was to find out the effectiveness of manipulative materials in teaching mathematics at primary level. For this, a pretest was administered to both groups at the beginning of the study and found that

both groups were comparable & had the same level of mathematics, i.e. no significant difference was identified between both group at 0.01 level of significance after applying two tailed t-test on their achieved scores.

After the experiment teaching which was conducted for 3 weeks by the researcher himself, the post-test was administered. The obtained data were arranged & statistically analyzed by using two tailed t-test at 0.01 level of significance and then it was come to know that there was significant difference between both groups. At last, it concluded that the mean achievement score of the students taught by using algebraic tiles are greater than that of the students taught only by traditional method.