ERIC Number: EJ1072360
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1524-5039
EISSN: N/A
Examining Computational Skills in Prekindergarteners: The Effects of Traditional and Digital Manipulatives in a Prekindergarten Classroom
Mattoon, Cassandra; Bates, Alan; Shifflet, Rena; Latham, Nancy; Ennis, Sarah
Early Childhood Research & Practice, v17 n1 Spr 2015
The authors investigated benefits of digital technology compared with traditional manipulatives in relation to preschoolers' development and learning of computational skills. The sample consisted of twenty four 4-and 5-year old children who attended a half-day prekindergarten program five times a week in a university laboratory school in the Midwestern United States. Children participated in small group instruction targeting computational skills. In one class, the teacher provided traditional manipulatives. In the other class, the same teacher provided digital manipulatives in the form of touch tablets with software apps. Both groups of children demonstrated significant increases in correct responses to computation questions on the Test of Early Mathematics Ability-- Third Edition (TEMA3). This practitioner study contributes to current research by using performance based assessment to compare the impact of digital versus traditional manipulatives on young children's computational concepts and skills.
Descriptors: Kindergarten, Preschool Children, Preschool Evaluation, Computation, Conventional Instruction, Technology Uses in Education, Laboratory Schools, Small Group Instruction, Manipulative Materials, Intermode Differences, Mathematical Aptitude, Performance Based Assessment, Mathematical Concepts, Mathematics Skills, Instructional Effectiveness, Teaching Methods, Mathematics Tests, Mathematics Achievement, Pretests Posttests
Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 51 Gerty Drive, Champaign, IL 61820. Tel: 877-275-3227; Tel: 217-333-1386; Fax: 217-244-7732; e-mail: ecrp@uiuc.edu; Web site: http://ecrp.uiuc.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Kindergarten; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A