Foundation phase teachers’ use of manipulatives to teach number concepts: A critical analysis

Abstract

Background: The poor performance of learners in mathematics has long been a matter of concern in South Africa. The Annual National Assessment (ANA) results reveal that the problem starts in the foundation phase with number concepts.Aim: This research sought to ascertain how foundation phase teachers used mathematical resources to teach number concepts as this may be one of the contributors to poor mathematics results.Setting: The purposively selected participants included five foundation phase teachers teaching Grades 1–3 at two schools in the Western Cape, in South Africa.Methods: The research was located within the interpretive qualitative research paradigm and used a case study approach. Data were collected through lesson observations and interviews and analysed through the lens of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory.Results: The findings of this study revealed that teaching for understanding was often compromised by teaching to enable learners to pass systemic assessments. Teachers are inclined to rote teaching with drill work in preparation for assessments such as the ANA and the systemic assessment. Consequently, manipulatives are not necessarily used optimally or opportunely.Conclusion: This study recommends that teachers should receive the necessary training to use and follow Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and also make an effort to follow the guidelines indicated in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement mathematics document in respect of how and when to use practical mathematical manipulatives.

Building students’ conceptual understanding of operations on fractions using manipulatives: A junior high school perspective

“…As analyzed, the results from the post-test have proven that the manipulatives positively impact students' conceptual understanding. This goes a long way to confirm the recommendations made by modern researchers (Adendorff et al, 2018;Andamon & Tan, 2018;Bartolini & Martignone, 2020;Sulistyaningsih et al, 2017). Therefore, effective use of manipulatives enhances students' conceptual understanding and must therefore be encouraged.…”

“…In respect of the research question two, which sort to find out the extent to which the use of the manipulatives can enhance students' performance, the analyses have proven beyond doubt that the effect size was good enough; this makes it clear enough to conclude that the statistical significance in the students' performance was appreciable. We can, therefore, prudently conclude that using the manipulatives in teaching the concept of operation on fractions is indeed grounded, as observed by various researchers (Adendorff et al, 2018;Cramer & Henry, 2002;Shaw, 2002).…”

Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng

“…Commenting on the need for teachers' training to teach numeracy, Mntunjani et al (2018) recommended that teachers should receive the necessary training to use and follow Vygotsky's (1978) ZPD and also make an effort to follow the guidelines indicated in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) (2011) mathematics document. This refers to how and when to incorporate practical mathematics manipulatives or tools.…”

“…To the best knowledge of the researchers, few studies have been conducted in South Africa on the use of visual tools that sought to explore teachers' understanding and use of visual objects in teaching numeracy, amongst which are studies conducted by Wilmont and Schafer (2015) and Mntunjani, Adendorff and Siyepu (2018). Based on these sentiments about the importance of visual tools in teaching numeracy, teachers' understanding and use of visual tools are essential to instruct numeracy in the Foundation Phase.…”