The Effect of Practicing Mental Calculation Strategies on Teacher Candidates’ Numeracy Proficiency
Abstract
This study was conducted on year 4 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education program for Cycle one teacher candidates. The effect of practicing mental calculation strategies in improving students’ numeracy proficiency was put under some tests to measure its effect in a scientific way. A Pre-quiz was conducted before with no prior practice done in order to check the strategies the students were using in performing calculations. After four weeks practice and implementation which focused mainly on addition and subtraction questions, as a result a post quiz was written by the students. The improvement results were recorded and analyzed. After four weeks of practicing multiplication and division questions, another post quiz was written by the students as a result of that. Once again, the improvement results also were recorded and analyzed. Furthermore, interviews and observations also were used to record changes in the students’ perspectives about using the mental strategies and their feelings toward their numeracy level. The results of the study showed that practicing the mental strategies had a significant impact on the students’ numeracy proficiency and their perspective toward their mental strategies. The study also showed that more practice had a significant impact on the students’ confidence as well as their ability to perform different mental strategies in their daily life.
Keywords: Calculation strategies, Numeracy proficiency
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Anghileri, J. (2006). A study of the impact of reform on students’ written calculation methods after five years’ implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy in England, Oxford Review of Education, 32 (3), 363-380.
Biggs, J. and Tang, C. (2011). Teaching For Quality Learning at University. 4th ed. Berkshire: Open University Press.
Brown, M. et al. (2003). The Key Role of Educational Research in the Development and Evaluation of the National Numeracy Strategy, British Educational Research Journal, 29(5), 655-672.
Craig, A. (2010). Comparing research into mental calculation strategies in mathematics education and psychology, Research in Mathematics Education, 12(1), 73-74.
Doabler, C. et al. (2012). Evaluating Three Elementary Mathematics Programs for Presence of Eight Research-Based Instructional Design Principles, Learning Disability Quarterly, 35 (4), 200–211.
Foxman, D. and Beishuizen, M. (2002). Mental calculation methods used by 11-year-olds in different attainment bands: a reanalysis of data from the 1987 apu survey in the UK, Educational Studies in Mathematics, 51,41–69.
Gallagher, K and Ali, K. (2007). Action Research and Initial Teacher Education in the UAE. 1st ed. UAE: HCT Press.
Heirdsfield, A. and Lamb, J. (2005). Mental Computation: The Benefits of Informed Teacher Instruction. Queensland University of Technology. Retrieved on 7 February 2015 from
http://www.merga.net.au/documents/RP452005.pdf
Jones, D. V. (2004). National numeracy initiatives in England and Wales: parallel attempts at achieving large-scale reform, Compare, 34 (4), 463-486.
Loveridge, J. Y. and Taylor, M. (2005). Children's views about mathematics learning after participation in a numeracy initiative, University of Waikato, Research in Education, 74, 83-90.
Maclellan, E. (2001). Mental Calculation: its place in the development of numeracy, Westminster Studies in Education, 24 (2), 145-154.
McLeod, S. (2007). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved on 6 February 2015 from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Mead, K. and Maxwell, W.T. (2010). Using the counting on mathematics strategies: an action research case study, APMC, 15(3), 10-15.
Mertler, C. (2012). Action research Improving Schools and empowering Educators. 3rd ed. California: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Murphy, C (2004). How do children come to use a taught mental calculation strategy? Educational Studies in Mathematics, 56, 3–18.
Piht, S. and Eisenschmidt, E. (2010). Mental Arithmetic Skills: Comparative Research Based on Estonian and Finnish Pupils, problems of education in the 21st century, 25, 99-108.
Quirk, B. (2013). The Bogus Research in Kamii and Dominick's Harmful Effects of Algorithms Papers, Nonpartisan Education Review, 9(2), 1-3. Retrieved on 1 February 2015 fromhttp://www.wgquirk.com/kamii.htmlRace, P. (2010). Making Learning Happen: A guide for post-Compulsory education. 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Rivera, L. (1996). The Effect of Mental Computation Instruction on Third Grade Mathematic Student. Columbia University. Retrieved on 6 February 2015from
http://ponce.inter.edu/cai/tesis/lmrivera/acknowled.htm
Thomson, I. (1999). Mental calculation strategies for addition and subtraction. Part 1. Mathematics in school, 28(5), 2-4. Thompson, I. (2000). Is The National Numeracy Strategy Evidence-Based? MT, 171, 23-27. Retrieved on 2 February 2015 from http://www.ianthompson.pi.dsl.pipex.com
Thompson, I. (2009). Mental Calculation, Mathematics Teaching, 213, 40-42.
Threlfall, J. (2002). Flexible mental calculation. Educational studies in Mathematics, 50, 29-47.
University of Victoria (2005), Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives and Verbs for the Objectives, pp. 1-14. Retrieved on 6 February 2015 from http://www.atlantic.edu/program/academic/factgov/documents/BloomsTaxonomyinfo.pdf
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
![Creative Commons License](http://licensebuttons.net/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2013-2023 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD.
International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies
You may require to add the 'aiac.org.au' domain to your e-mail 'safe list’ If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox'. Otherwise, you may check your 'Spam mail' or 'junk mail' folders.