AUTHOR/S: Debbie Marie B. Verzosa
DATE COMPLETED: May 19, 2017
KEYWORDS:
ABSTRACT
The extensive literature on primary school mathematics has largely been implemented in developed nations. As such, little is known about how this existing knowledge can be of practical significance for Filipino learners. This project aims to address this gap by re-designing interview tasks into written assessments that can feasibly be implemented to identify the number knowledge of pupils of the Ateneo de Davao Grade School (AdDU GS). This study extends the recently-completed URC-funded project of Lee and Obcena (2015) who analyzed pupils’ errors in solving mathematical word problems. Research instruments in this proposed study include a range of written assessments aimed to investigate the pupils’ whole number knowledge and fractional understanding.
Results on pupils whole number knowledge indicate relative difficulties with certain number patterns, with non-canonical number representations, and with bridging through tens or hundreds. However, these difficulties largely disappear among Grade 4 and Grade 5 pupils.
As was found in many other studies, the notion of quantity fractions remains an elusive topic for AdDU Grade school pupils. Fraction understanding is mostly limited to partition fractions where a fraction is used to represent a part of a whole. A major difficulty is a growth in understanding of a fraction as a number. A gap of a whole. A gap between Honors and Non-Honors sections were seen among the Grade 4 pupils, and this gap widens in Grade 5.
Results from this study were initially presented to the GS mathematics faculty, and a follow-up in-service training was already conducted. It is hoped that this study provides a direction for future research and innovations towards better mathematical learning of the AdDU Grade School pupils.
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