The Use of Manipulatives in Mathematics Education

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the efficacy of using algebra tile manipulatives in junior high school students’ performance. The study sample comprised 56 students from two schools purposely selected from two towns within the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem municipality. The students were made up of two groups; the experimental and the control group. Each group was taught the same algebra units over a period of four weeks. However, the experimental group was taught using algebra tile manipulatives whilst the control group was taught using the conventional ‘talk and chalk’ method. The instruments used for data collection were mathematics achievement pretest and posttest. Students’ achievements on the posttest were analysed using percentages, mean, standard deviation and the independent t-test. The findings of the study were that, those who were taught through extensive use of algebra tiles performed significantly better. Thus the use of the algebra tiles proved very effective and promising approach to teaching and learning algebra, and that the tiles also improved students’ thinking process as they solved problems in algebra. On the basis of these findings, it is recommended that algebra tiles should be used as a tool to introducing students to algebraic concepts.

Keywords: Manipulatives, instruction, performance, learning