A study of games in senior high school mathematics classes, 1979

Walls, Robert, Jr.

1970-1979

The purpose of this study was to determine the significance of recreational games in the senior high school mathematics classes and how they can be used as instructional devices or aids in a teaching-learning situation. The researcher was interested in achieving two specific purposes: 1. Collecting mathematical games that will motivate, stimulate, and arouse the interests of the math students at R. E. Lee Institute in Thomaston, Georgia. 2. To determine the effectiveness of the mathematical games in the classroom at R. E. Lee Institute. Method and Procedures The subjects were fifty senior high school students. In both classes, the games and recreational activities were used as instructional aids. The subjects were exposed to the games as an aid during the class period. Competition was placed in high esteem. Results A student-opinion questionnaire was administered and scored according to the following levels of agreement: strong level of agreement; moderate level of agreement; and disagreement. Over 70 percent of the subjects highly agreed that the construction of the various manipulatives enhanced their interest level in the mathematics class. There was 25 percent of the subjects who responded with a moderate level of agreement. Four (4) percent responded with a level of disagreement. There were five questions that were related to the implementation of the mathematical games and recreational activities in the classroom. To these questions, over 65 percent of the subjects responded with a strong level of agreement. There was over 33 percent who responded with a moderate level of agreement. Only 1 percent of the subjects disagreed. Conclusion The findings in this study led to the following conclusions: 1. There is an observable change in student interest in mathematics after the implementation of mathematical games and recreational activities. 2. Reactions of the subjects demonstrated that mathematical games and recreational activities are efficient instructional tools/ are fun, remove pressure, encourage peer in teaching and are nonthreatening evaluation of learning. 3. The results of this study suggest that with more time spent with the subjects, the use of games and recreational activities would prove to be even more successful at motivating, stimulating, and arousing student-interest in mathematics. Recommendations On the basis of the findings of this study, the writer made the following recommendations: 1. Putting a halt to dull and dreary mathematics classes should be a major educational goal for the mathematics teacher. 2. Mathematics teachers should continue to use whatever methods that are necessary to turn their students on (educationally), 3. Mathophobia during this era of Neo-Progressive education can be obliterated if all parties concerned would lend a helping hand (principals, department supervisors, teachers, students, and parents).

text

application/pdf

1979-05-01

thesis

Education Specialist (EdS)

Atlanta University

School of Education

Clark Atlanta University

Georgia--Atlanta

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:1979_walls_robert_jr