Using Virtual Manipulatives to Support Students With Disabilities in Mathematics: A Review of Literature

Abstract

The development of technology and changes in the understanding of education have increased the use and importance of virtual manipulatives in teaching mathematical concepts and skills to students with special needs. The aim of this research is to examine studies in which virtual manipulatives are used in teaching mathematics to students with special needs. For this purpose, the literature was searched and 16 studies meeting the criteria were included in the study. These studies were evaluated in terms of the year and journal were published, participants, application/intervention, mathematics subjects and methodological features. The data obtained as a result of these evaluations were analyzed with descriptive analysis, and the findings were interpreted by giving graphics and tables. When the graphics and tables were examined, it was seen that the virtual manipulative studies in special education were mostly published in the journals indexed in the "Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)" in 2020. Participants of these studies consist of three male students with learning disabilities, mostly between the ages of 13-15. Single case research methods were used in these studies. Additionally, it has been observed in the studies that are examined the effectiveness of virtual manipulatives or is compared the effectiveness of virtual and concrete manipulatives. For future research; It is recommended to analyze studies published in different languages and include other research methods.

The Role of Technology in Modern Science Education

“…Bu tür manipülatifler hareket ettirilebilen ve dokunulabilen (Hacıömeroğlu & Apaydın, 2009), soyut matematik kavramlarını somutlaştıran nesneler (Van de Walle, 2007) olarak kabul edilirler. Somut manipülatifler, öğrencilerin dokunabildiği düğme, boncuk ve küp gibi fiziksel/gerçek nesnelerdir (Terzioğlu & Yıkmış, 2022). Bu tür manipülatiflerin kullanımı, daha zengin öğrenme ortamları sunarken öğrenciyi aktif halde tutmakta, matematik öğretimini zevkli hale getirerek öğrenci motivasyonunu artırmaktadır (Gökkurt-Özdemir, Uygun, Gün, & Koçak, 2020).…”