ERIC Number: EJ1075563
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-8543
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Assessing the Difficulty Level of Math Board Games for Young Children
Moomaw, Sally
Journal of Research in Childhood Education, v29 n4 p492-509 2015
This study investigated differences in difficulty among three types of math board games used as curricular materials in some preschool classrooms. Difference in performance between low- and middle-income children on the three types of games was also explored. Children drew cards containing one to five large dots; they then attempted to place an equivalent number of counters on a bingo-type board or move an equivalent number of spaces along a short or a long path. The sample consisted of 86 children of diverse race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, age 3 to 5 years, enrolled in a licensed, urban preschool in the Midwest United States. A mixed-methods design was employed. Repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc testing showed that children scored significantly higher (p < 0.0001) on grid and short-path games than on longer path games. Head Start children scored significantly lower than middle-income children at age 3, but not at age 4 or 5. Qualitative data revealed mathematical behaviors that indicate when a child is ready to move to a more difficult level of game, as well as common error sources on long-path games.
Descriptors: Preschool Children, Elementary School Mathematics, Mathematics Instruction, Educational Games, Difficulty Level, Low Income Groups, Middle Class, Socioeconomic Status, Urban Schools, Mixed Methods Research, Scores, Statistical Analysis, Disadvantaged Youth, Age Differences, Quasiexperimental Design
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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