This study investigated the relative effectiveness of three methods of using manipulative materials for instructing third-grade students on addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers. Subjects (N=124) were selected from a larger pool from two schools on the basis of scores on a prerequisite skills measure and the pretest. They were randomly…

This report describes a program for increasing adolescent visualization and understanding of geometry problems. The targeted population consisted of high school students in two geometry classes in a growing middle-class community. The inability of students to adequately visualize and understand geometry problems was documented through teacher-made…

A study compared the effectiveness of three different story-telling strategies on a preschool disabilities population. Participants were exposed to stories through oral story telling using auditory cues only, story telling with illustrations such as Big Books, or story telling using illustrations and puppets. Participants were asked to retell the…

This study attempted to determine which teaching method, mainly manipulatives or the standard curriculum, best allowed the students to learn first grade math concepts. The manipulatives consisted of objects such as unifix cubes, personal chalkboards, work mats, and various other articles, which allowed the students to see the math that they were…

This study involved the development, pilot testing, and evaluation of units for a college mathematics course for general education. The units emphasized a concrete approach to instruction and the manipulation of objects, images, and symbols. Three classes, all taught by the researcher, were involved in the study: a control group, a pilot test…

This study concerns concrete manipulatives for use in mathematics education, specifically in the realm of negative numbers and the operations on them. The author presents a review of relevant theory, practice, and research and develops guidelines regarding characteristics of manipulative materials. He concludes that present practice in teaching…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of electric calculators offered an effective remedy for the lack of success and the corresponding negative attitude of the low achiever in mathematics. Two hundred and one low achievers were randomly scheduled into one of five control sections or into one of five experimental sections.…

This study provides a systematic observation and assessment of pupil-teacher behaviors in a mathematics laboratory for underachieving innercity junior high school students. Using the Observational System for Instructional Analysis (OSIA), the author recorded and analyzed 125 mathematics laboratory activity sessions. Five students, selected from a…

This study was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of the use of three different combinations of enactive, ikonic and symbolic representation in teaching multiplication to third-grade students. Ninety students in three classrooms were instructed in accordance with the assigned treatment for nine weeks. Groups were equated using the…

This report describes an intervention designed to assist students in creating and accepting divergent solutions to problems in mathematics. The targeted population consisted of fifth-grade students from a multicultural setting with varied economic backgrounds, and the sample included 171 fifth graders in two school districts. Underdeveloped…

This report describes a Prescription Learning Company basic mathematics multi-media laboratory at an elementary school in Austin, Texas. Research assumptions that the Prescription Learning approach makes are explored and reviewed. A sample of 12 fifth grade students participated in attitude and achievement results of the laboratory. Twenty-four…

The major purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of mathematics instruction based on the use of manipulative materials in grades 4, 5, and 6. A secondary purpose was to find whether this approach is differentially effective for students in different grade level, sex, or welfare recipient categories. Three treatment groups, one…