An investigation into mathematical concept development among Kenyan primary school children
Abstract
Kenya's problems relating to the demand
for scientific and mathematical knowledge
are more far-reaching, as elsewhere in the
developing countries. No person can get far in
scientific and mathematical thinking unless he
masters the relevant concepts in science and
mathematics. This study therefore, aimed at
determining the extent to which Kenya's primary
school children comprehend mathematical concepts.
Secondary to this purpose, the study aimed at
assessing the degree to which the same children
rely on perceptual comparisons for their judgement
in mathematical tasks.
Three separate tasks (classification, conservat
ion and measurement) which represented three
distinct mathematical concepts were selected
for the investigation, which used the AVET
(Audio-Visual Experimental Technique) as a
testing Instrument. This method combined
the use ,of three senses (seeing, hearing and
touching) to complete a test-task. There were
80 test - items administered to 675 children of Mombasa District, with a mean chronological age of 11.08
y'ears and a standard deviation of 1.76.
Citation
M.EducationSponsorhip
University of NairobiPublisher
Facult of Education, University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5932]