THE EFFECT OF MANIPULATIVES TO KINDERGARTEN

PUPILS’ LEARNING BEHAVIOR

I. Context and Rationale

Manipulatives, in the context of education, are physical tools of teaching,

engaging students visually and physically with objects such as coins, blocks, puzzles,

markers, etc. The use of manipulatives is constructivist because students are actively

engaged in discovery during the learning process. A teacher provides the materials

along with a basic direction, but students should be allowed to explore the materials

and ask questions before and during the lesson (Firestone, 2003).

According to education professor Dr. Jean Shaw, manipulatives are effective for

the following reasons: they are multisensory, they represent ideas in more than one

way, they promote communication among students, and they increase confidence,

leading to lessened confusion and deepened understanding.

Math lesson are commonly classroom application of manipulatives because they

easily allow students to physically apply the concepts of addition, subtraction, division,

and multiplication. For example, students could ‘play store’ with ‘money’ that they

create in a separate class project. Allow them to decide on what type of store it will be

and let them bring things of their own to ‘sell’, or allow them to create the product,

which remain in the classroom when the lesson is not in progress.

 Kindergarten pupils benefit from using manipulatives. Melissa Kincaid, a Miami

University professor who specializes in math methods and also is a teacher herself,

gave us greater insight on the use of manipulatives in the classroom. As far as which

type of learner benefits most from manipulatives she says that EVERY learner benefits

from manipulatives! When we learn something new, our brain has to first play around

with the material. In addition to this she explains why they need to have manipulatives

in their hands. Utilizing manipulatives helps students gain the background experience

that they need to learn new material (Cherkas and Dwiggins, 2016).

Herman and Copple (2010) state the “effective instructional strategies that

weave the knowledge base about child development with kindergarten standards and

content knowledge in ways that are engaging, meaningful and relevant to children.”

According to a review of studies by the National Center for Accessing the General

Curriculum, certain groups of students, including learning-disabled students and

students with limited English skills, benefit from using manipulatives (Firestone, 2003).

Kindergarten teachers play a vital role in the development of young learners.

They are the first educators many students experience and, as such, may form an

important and lasting impression on a child’s educational trajectory. They have many

responsibilities, including providing academic instruction, helping students to cope with

anxieties over separation from home [1], teaching socio-emotional skills [2], and

managing a significant range of child behaviours [3]. These behaviours range from

developmentally-appropriate fears to toileting difficulties, difficulties tolerating

frustration, and aggression. For some students, particularly those who did not attend
daycares or preschool, they may serve as a surrogate parent during the school day.

And, they typically support at least a few students experiencing significant difficulties,

including disorders such as Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) [4].

According to Schweinle, Meyer, and Turner (2006) the experiences that students

have in the classrooms, motivationally and emotionally, are crucial factors that affect

their attitudes, behaviors, and achievement. The purpose of this action research study

will examine the effect of manipulative to kindergarten pupils’ learning behaviour. Allow

students to expose and utilize manipulative to learn new materials. The study will focus

on the kindergarten pupils’ learning behaviour before and after using manipulatives.

II. Action Research Questions

This action research will design to answer the significant effect of manipulatives

to kindergarten pupils’ learning behaviour in General Roxas Elementary School – Dulag,

Leyte. Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the effects of manipulatives to kindergarten pupils’ learning

behaviour?

2. Is there a differences of learning behaviour of kindergarten pupils before and

after using manipulative?

III. Proposed Innovation, Intervention and Strategy

This action research study will carry out in my Kindergarten classroom by

incorporating the use of manipulatives materials in a unit on (subject/objective of the

lesson). The use of a pre-test and a post-test and analyses of pupil’s work samples will

provide insight into the pupil’s academic performance. Teacher observations will analyze

to determine pupils’ learning behavior in class and the effect on them by the use of

manipulatives.

The purpose of this study will investigate the two questions.

1. What are the effects of manipulatives to kindergarten pupils’ learning behavior?

2.

References

Journal Article

Cherkas and Dwiggins. The Implications of Structured

(2016). Movement to
EnhanceStudent Engagement and Student Performance .

Blog
Firestone. (2003, October 8). https://study.com/academy/lesson/manipulatives-in-
education-definition-examples-classroom-applications.html