UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

USING A DESIGNED MODEL TO IMPROVE PUPILS INABILITY

TO READ THE TIME ON CLOCK FACES AT TAMATOKU

PRESBY PRIMARY FOUR

PUPLAMPU ANNE BUERKIE

ADA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

ADA-FOAH

2008
 UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

USING A DESIGNED MODEL TO IMPROVE PUPILS INABILITY

TO READ THE TIME ON CLOCK FACES AT TAMATOKU

PRESBY PRIMARY FOUR

BY

PUPLAMPU ANNE BUERKIE

OF

ADA TRAINING COLLEGE

ADA-FOAH

A PROJECT WORK SUBMITTED

TO THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION OF THE

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR THE AWARD OF DIPLOMA

IN BASIC EDUCATION

JULY, 2008
CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this project work is the result of my own original research and that no

part of it has been presented for another diploma in this University or elsewhere

Candidate’s Name

Signature: ………………………………………. Date: ……………………………

SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of the project work were supervised in

accordance with the guidelines on supervision of project work laid down by the University of

Cape Coast.

Supervisor’s Name:

Signature: ………………………………………. Date: …………………………

 ABSTRACT

The research was undertaken to assist pupils to read the time on the clock face at Tamatoku

Presby Primary four class.

There were twenty-two (22) pupils in the class. Twelve of them were used for the study;

these of which constitute an average age of eleven. The researcher used the purposive sampling

in selecting the respondents. Test, observation and interview were the research instruments

used to obtain information for the study.

The researcher used the percentage table to analyze the data collected. The researcher

realised that, so many factors contributed to pupils’ inability to read the time on clock faces

which included the lack of teaching and learning materials, the teacher’s method of teaching

and pupils not taking mathematics lessons seriously.

The researcher upon the study, made recommendations to the Ghana Education Service and

teachers towards the effective teaching of mathematics.

i
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my profound gratitude to God Almighty for protecting and guiding me through out

the diploma programme to make the success of this work possible.

I also acknowledge the efforts of my supervisor Mr. Emmanuel Coleman for his guidance and

constructive suggestion which made the work a successful one.

Special thanks go to Moses Paafio Kwao for his help and guidance which helped to produce

this work.

I also acknowledge the efforts of my colleague mentees Henry, Alex, Derby, Prince, Rhoda,

Rita, Seth, Mabel and Joshua who made my stay at Tamatoku a comfortable one.

May the good Lord bless you all.

ii
 DEDICATION

I dedicate this work to my dear parents Mr. and Mrs. E. N. Puplampu, Ms. Joanna

Puplampu, Sister Narkie and to all my brothers and sisters.

iii
 TABLE OF CONTENT

PAGE

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

DEDICATION iii

CHAPTER

1. INTRODUCTION 1

Background to the study 1

Statement of the problem 2

Purpose of the study 3

Research Questions 3

Significance of the study 3

Limitations 4

Delimitation 4

Organization of the study 5

2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 6

3. METHODOLOGY 9

Research design 9

Sample population 9

Research Instruments 10

Pre-interventions 11

iv
 Interventions 11

Post-intervention 12

4. DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 13

5. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 19

REFERENCES 21

APPENDIX 22

v
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the study

Development in all aspect of life is based on effective knowledge of science and

mathematics. It is for this reason that the educational system of countries that are serious

about their educational development put emphasis on the study of mathematics.

Mathematics at the primary school level in Ghana emphasizes on knowledge and skills

that will help the pupils to develop the formation of numeracy.

The pupil is expected to be able to read and use numbers competently, reason logically,

solve problems and communicate mathematical ideas effectively to other people.

It is for this reason that mathematics is considered the backbone of any country that is

heading towards development.

We say mathematics, which deals with calculations covers a person’s entire life. It is

said that we calculate even when eating. In view of this, mathematics has been made a core

discipline of study throughout our educational system.

However, as our educational planners and stakeholders try to make the study of

mathematics incline, it is rather declining. This is not different in Tamatoku Presby Primary

school.

Tamatoku is a farming community with a population of about seven hundred people. It is

a small town in the Kasseh District, situated in the Dangme East District in the Greater

Accra Region of Ghana. The town is endowed with some social amenities such as pipe-

borne water, and electricity.

Farming and trading are their main occupations. Due to their trading activities which is

only three kilometers from the town, the people, both young and old are always busy on

market days which are Tuesdays and Fridays. In view of this, most pupils in Tamatoku

1
prefer trading to going to school on these days and this results to low turn-out at school and

also results in pupils missing lessons especially the mathematics lessons which has four

periods in a four day duration. This means that the pupils have only two mathematics

lessons in the week instead of the four which is even considered to be inadequate for

mathematics as a core subject.

The people have no idea about the importance of mathematics and education in general.

They take things for granted when it comes to mathematics. They also lack the concept of

time; thus, do things at anytime without considering the time factor. They can decide to go

to farm immediately after raining, whether it is time for school or not and during school

hours. It can clearly be seen that the people lack the concept of time which at the long run

affects education in the community.

As a result of this, the researcher has taken it upon her to find out the cause of pupils’

inability to read time on the clock face.

Statement of the Problem

The researcher some few weeks of internship found out that pupils at Tamatoku Presby

basic four have problem of reading the time on the clock face.

It became obvious after a lesson was taught and exercise was given on the measurement

of time to assess pupils’ performance. The researcher observed that pupils’ performance

was below average. This was due to the wrong approach to handling the topic and the lack

of teaching and learning material to enhance pupils’ understanding of the topic.

It was as a result of this that the researcher decided to explore ways of improving the

pupils’ knowledge in reading the time on the clock face.

2
 Purpose of the Study

Time is essential in human life and for the economy to grow, time must be consciously

observed.

Pupils’ inability to read the time on a clock face is a big problem which goes a long way

to affect their academic work as well. Due to this problem, the researcher decided to find

out the cause of the problem and provide an appropriate teaching method to alleviate the

problem.

In view of this, the researcher will design a model to aid pupils at Tamatoku Presby basic

four to understand the topic and also to help teachers to use appropriate methods to enhance

easy reading of time on the clock faces.

Research Questions

1. Why were most pupils at Tamatoku Presby Primary four unable to read the time on

clock faces?

2. What were pupils’ attitudes towards the learning of mathematics at Tamatoku Presby

four?

3. What approaches do teachers use in the teaching and learning of mathematics?

4. What were teachers’ strategies towards the teaching of and learning of mathematics?

Significance of the study

The study is aimed at finding the causes of the problem of pupils at Tamatoku Presby

primary four inability to read the time on clock faces and also to provide possible solutions

to the problem.

3
 It was also realized that effective use of teaching and learning materials would aid in

effective teaching and understanding of the topic and also increase pupils’ interest in the

study of mathematics.

Limitation

Some of the limitations the researcher encountered include language barrier since the

researcher does not understand the language of the pupils. This hindered the effectiveness of

the interview employed by the researcher to collect data. Most of the pupils were also not

fluent in the English language and few also could not speak at all.

The researcher also encountered financial problems since everything needed for the

research involved money. For instance, the printing and preparation of the model for

effective teaching.

Delimitation

The research was effected at Tamatoku Presby basic four due the large number of pupils

in Tamatoku Presby ‘A’ and ‘B’.

In addition, the research was limited to reading the time on the clock face in mathematics

due to the lack of appropriate teaching and learning materials for the topic.

Organization of the Study

The research work is developed into five chapters.

Chapter one covers the background to the study, statement of the research problem, purpose

of the study, research questions, significance of the study, limitations, delimitations and

how the research report is organized.

4
 Chapter two deals with the review of related literature which talks about what others

have said about the in study.

Chapter three is the methodology aspect of which discusses the research design,

population and sample selection, research instruments, intervention processes, monitoring

techniques and methods for data collection.

Chapter four addresses the representation of data and its analysis.

Chapter five is the final chapter which gives a summary, conclusions to the study and

recommendations for further study into the problem.

5
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter deals with what others have written on the reading of time on clock faces

and what suggestions they made about the appropriate ways of teaching pupils how to read

the time on clock faces.

According to D. Paling (1982), one of the ways in which telling the time can be

introduced to children is through the regular happenings at school each day. For instance, a

set of clock – face are drawn on a large sheet of white card or paper and hung where all the

children can see it. The clock-faces and the positions of the large and small hands are

discussed with the children each day until they are familiar with them.

For further activities he said that a variety of clock faces with movable hands are needed.

The children use the classroom clock-face with the pull-out tabs. The children practice

reading the numerals in order, then the tabs are re-moved and put in a heap. The children

have to replace the tabs in their correct order. The children should work singly or in pairs

for this activity.

Lucy J-Onfan et al (1970) are of the view that when you use a 12-hour clock you are

often doing a special kind of arithmetic. You are working in a number system that uses only

the numbers on the clock face 1,2………..12. And in order to read the time on clock face by

addition you have to think of moving the hour you think of moving the hour hand in a

counter clock wise direction.

B.L Young (1979) also stated that when you are watching your watch you could silently

measure a number of seconds. You could indicate when the pupils should begin and

estimating and then let them write down how many seconds they think have passed.

He said the clock faces are then drawn on the board. These may have hour hands only, hour

and minutes hands or minutes and seconds hands.

6
Denis Thyer and John Maggs (1971) also have another school of thought. According to

them, we can introduce a clock with two pointers and show that the larger pointer records

minutes and the shorter records hours, using an hour time and minute’s time. Further events

can then be timed using a clock both hours and minutes have been recorded on the same

instrument.

Following this, a clock can be used to record the time of the day and the children can

also be taught to read the clock and notice when events take place. Daily events can then be

thought of and ordered in terms of hours of the clock.

John T. Blaire et al (1975) are also of the view that some teachers may wish to

demonstrate how to read a clock on a model clock where the hour hand has been removed

to allow the concentration on what is happening to the minute hand. Other teachers may

prefer to use a real clock to say the time or find the appropriate flash card.

Douglas L. Alder et al (1975), asserted that, the children should be involved in a lot of

oral work dealing with both telling the time and setting the hands to show a time. The

teacher could tell a story using a lot of different times and as the story progresses; the pupils

have to put the clock to each correct time. Alternatively, the teacher could put the clock to

the correct time as pupils have to give the time as each point of the story is told. The oral

work should extend the language of time.

John Busbridge et al (1919) said that, we can begin to develop pupils’ awareness of time

by drawing their attention to activities, ones which occur regularly in their daily lives, such

as bedtime, school time, breakfast time and other special days.

Also, the teacher should frequently use the vocabulary of time such as now, then, before,

after, when, today, fast, slow, etc.

Pamela Liebeck, (1984), shared the same view that, to read the time from a conventional

clock language before they understand how this reading is connected with the passing of

7
time. We teach them the O’clock time first, the big hand points up to ‘12’ at such times and

the little one points to the numeral that tells with certain recurring activities in their day

such as ‘I got up at 8 O’clock in the morning, I go to bed at 8 O’clock at night and we have

lunch at 12 O’clock’.

Norman Moore and Alex Williams (1976), also stressed that, using the demonstration

clock introduces the five positions of minute hand representing ‘5 minutes past’, 25 minutes

past and that already familiar ‘quarter past’ should be seen as a conventional substitute for

15 minutes past. It is essential at this stage that students understand that the movements of

the minute hand from one figure to the other represents the passage of five minutes.

Finally, Dr. A. O Kalejaiye (1985) said that, pupils should learn to read the time table of

train or a journey. They should be introduced to the twenty-four hour clock and rotations

‘am’ and ‘pm’ for showing morning and evening respectively.

From the above, it is clear that there is the need to provide a model or teaching and

learning material for the teaching of reading the time on the clock face.

8
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter deals with the discussion of methods that were used in obtaining data for

the study. It comprises the research design, population and sample selection, research

instruments, intervention processes and data analysis plan.

Research Design

Action research was used for this research. The researcher used action research design

because it deals with finding immediate solutions to problems involving the use of specific

methods.

The focus of the study is to find out possible solutions to pupils’ inability to read the

time on a clock face. Although the research design strengthens the researcher’s proficiency

in teaching and learning situations, certain weaknesses were encountered; inadequate time

allocation for the submission of the research report and the unavailability of appropriate

teaching and learning materials to rectify the problem under study.

Population and sample selection

The targeted population is the one identified by the researcher as having problem of

reading the time on the clock faces.

The research was undertaken at Tamatoku Presby primary four; a total population of

twenty-two with ten boys and twelve girls.

The sample size dealt with the actual number of pupils to be used for the study. Twelve

pupils out of the total population were used for the study.

The purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the sample size. The researcher,

from the results of a test conducted, selected those who had below an average mark of five.

9
These consist of six girls and six boys as the experimental group and those who performed

well as the controlled group.

Research Instruments

Research instruments are the tools used in gathering data. The researcher identified the

problem of pupils’ inability to read the time on clock face through observation, interview

and test.

Observation: the researcher, after several weeks of internship observed that pupils have

less interest in mathematics. The most surprising aspect of this is their misuse of

instructional hours. This problem was finally brought to light during the delivery of a lesson

on reading of time. To the researcher’s dismay, the pupils have no idea about the topic. The

researcher observed that most of the pupils had some fear for mathematics and this brought

their interest in the subject very low.

Interview is a form of questioning characterized by the fact that it employs verbal

questioning as its principal technique of data collection.

The researcher upon realizing the problem of the pupils decided to find out the causes by

interviewing. The following results were obtained from the interview:

 Teachers were not using the right approach to teaching.

 They were also not using teaching and learning material for lesson delivery.

 Pupils were not having interest in mathematics.

 Pupils had few periods for mathematics lessons.

Test is a technique used to assess the depth of knowledge of a particular subject matter.

The test was conducted by the researcher to gather more information about the problem.

Afterwards, it was realized that only a few of them could answer or read the time on

clock face.

10
 Intervention Processes.

The intervention processes involves the strategies that were used to administer the

problem of study. These include pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention.

Pre-intervention

A pre-intervention test was given by the researcher after a lesson was delivered. It was

detected that pupils could not read or answer questions on the existed problem which led to

the poor performance in the exercise given. It also came to light that the sample group of

twelve had marks below four out of five.

Intervention

The researcher took a vivid look at the results in the pre-intervention test and went ahead

to planned strategies to overcome the problem which included the following:

 The researcher planned a detailed lesson note to teach the lesson again.

 A teaching and learning material was also designed to enhance the pupils’

understanding.

 The use of an appropriate teaching and learning method which enabled encouraged full

participation of pupils in the lesson.

Figure A B C

Clock showing the second A clock showing the A clock showing the

Minute and hour hands multiple of five (5) minute and hour hand

11
 DELIVERY MODE

Pupils were put into three groups of four members. Each was presented with three (3)

model clocks at different times. Clock A above was given first for them to identify and

names the hands. Afterwards, pupils were guided to mention the functions of the minute,

second and hour hands.

Again, clock B was given to the pupils to read the clock as multiples of five. Here, pupils

were guided to read the twelfth hour as zero initially and finally as the sixteeth minute.

Pupils were made to know that the intervals between the numbers in the clock are in fifths.

Finally, clock C was given to pupils to read the time in hours and minutes. Here, pupils

were guided to know that the numbers on the clock can be read as minutes and hours

depending on the hand that lies on the number.

They were also made to know that all hands on clocks moves from left to right.

Finally, the lesson was summarized and exercise was given, marked and the appropriate

feedback was also given to the pupils.

Post-intervention

In order to determine the outcome of the intervention, the researcher gave an evaluation

exercise. Results from the pre-test and the post-test were compared and it was realized that

there had been an incredible improvement in pupils’ performance.

The results are discussed in the next chapter.

12
 CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

The chapter four of this action research report outlines and discusses the results of the

study. The survey method was used in gathering information from twenty-two basic four

pupil respondents. The statistical tools used were the frequency distribution table along side

the percentage. This was to ensure easier understanding of the problem under study.

Twelve respondents were used for the collection of data for the study. Out of the total

number, six (6) of the respondents were males representing fifty (50) percent while six (6)

were females representing fifty (50) percent.

Table 4.1

Reasons for pupils’ inability to read the time on the clock face

Reasons Frequency Percentage (%)

Lack of teaching and learning material 6 50

Limited time 3 25

Pupils’ background 2 16.7

No response 1 8.3

Total 12 100

From the responses gathered out of the interview used, by the researcher, six respondents

representing fifty (50) percent were of the view that they could not read the time on the

clock face due to the lack of teaching and learning materials. They further explained that,

should teaching and learning materials be used, they would understand the lesson better as

they would be involved in the teaching and learning process. Three (3) respondents

representing twenty-five (25) percent also attributed the problem to limited time allocation

on the time table. They explained that much time is not given to them to practice as the

13
teacher teaches in a haste to cover a number of topics within the period. They were of the

view that, if much time is given for practice, their performance would be encouraging.

Two (2) respondents representing sixteen point seven (16.7) percent complained about

their background. According to them they were nurtured in areas where the time on the

clock face is difficult to come by. They were used to the ‘disco watch’ and the sun to tell the

time. Reading the time on the clock face was something new to them as the teacher

introduced the lesson and therefore, found the lesson to be difficult.

One respondent representing eight point three (8.3) when interviewed did not give any

response on his inability to read the time on the clock face. He refused to share his idea with

the researcher.

Table 4.2

Pupils’ attitudes towards the learning of mathematics at Tamatoku Presby Primary four

Responses Frequency Percentage (%)

Mathematics is difficult to study 5 41.7

Mathematics is easy to learn 1 8.3

Lack interest in mathematics 4 33.3

Less time to study mathematics 2 16.7

Total 12 100

From the table, five respondents representing forty-one point seven (41.7) percent said

that mathematics is difficult. According to them, there is no need for learning mathematics

and this accounted to their low performance when the test was conducted.

One (1) respondent representing eight point three (8.3) percent when interviewed said

mathematics is easy to learn. With the level of interest he has in mathematics, he wished to

pursue the subject at a higher level.

14
 Four (4) respondents representing thirty-three point three (33.3) percent lack interest in

mathematics. They explained that teachers’ attitude towards the subject was poor and so

made them loose interest in it.

Two (2) respondents representing sixteen point seven (16.7) complained of limited time

they had to study mathematics and the other subjects which accounted to their low

performance. According to them, the workload on them after school was too much. At that

time, studying becomes difficult to them. Should they have enough time to study

mathematics, their performance would be improved.

Table 4.3

Teachers’ approaches towards the teaching and learning of mathematics

Responses Frequency Percentages (%)

Use teaching and learning materials 1 16.7

Never uses teaching materials 3 50

Seldomly uses teaching materials 2 33.3

Total 6 100

The researcher observed and interviewed some of the teachers during and after the lesson

delivery and the results obtained are shown above.

Only one (1) respondent representing sixteen point seven (16.7) uses teaching and

learning materials regularly in his lesson delivery. According to him, the use of teaching

and learning materials makes the lesson real and more practical which enhances active

involvement of pupils. He also explained that teaching and learning materials lessens the

burden on the teacher.

15
 Three (3) respondents representing fifty (50) percent never used teaching and learning

materials in teaching. When interviewed explained that, preparation of the materials is

expensive and also wastes time because much work is involved. Besides, the school lacks

most of the basic and commonest teaching and learning materials which are needed by

every school. They believed that, delivering the content is what matters and not the material

involved.

Two (2) respondents representing thirty-three point three (33.3) percent said they

seldomly use the teaching and learning material. According to them, most of the topics in

mathematics do not need any material and for that matter they prepare materials when the

need arise.

Table 4.4

Teachers strategies used in the teaching and learning of mathematics

Responses Frequency Percentage (%)

When teaching and learning material is used 3 50

When pupils are motivated 2 33.3

Pupils’ participation 1 16.7

Total 6 100

From the above data, three (3) respondent representing fifty (50) percent said the use of

the teaching and learning material will be the appropriate strategies that can enhance the

easy and better understanding of any topic taught in mathematics to pupils.

According to them, pupils can interact with the teaching and learning material thereby

broadening their knowledge in mathematics and this will go a long way to enhance their

interest in learning mathematics. Another two respondents representing thirty-three point

16
three (33.3) percent shared their ideas about the strategies to be employed in teaching

mathematics. To them, pupils should be motivated to study mathematics or motivational

factors should be put in place to develop positive attitudes in pupils towards the learning of

the subject. They mentioned some factors such as awarding prizes to deserving pupils,

clapping for pupils who answer questions correctly and giving good remarks on pupils’

performance.

Only one (1) respondent representing sixteen point seven (16.7) percent said pupils’

participation can also be used as a strategy in teaching mathematics. To him pupils should

be involved extensively in the teaching and learning of mathematics. When this is done,

their interest will be sustained in the learning of the subject.

Discussion

The out come of the findings revealed that, a number of pupils at Tamatoku Presby

Primary four cannot read the time on a clock face due to some problems which contributed

to their poor performance.

The study revealed factors such as pupils having limited time to practice what they were

taught at6 school as result, affected their performance.

Also, pupils’ poor family background attributed to their poor performance. Some of the

pupils stayed at areas where the time on clock faces are not easy to come by. From the

study, pupils having less time to study mathematics had it as a difficult subject as a result of

lack interest in the subject.

The study also revealed teachers’ approach, strategies and methods of handling the

subject. It was realised that most teachers refused using teaching and learning materials

17
regularly in teaching their lessons whilst others used it seldomly. All these in the long run

affect the performance of pupils.

Finally, the intervention process employed by the researcher helped to lessen the

problems. This is because; pupils now perceive mathematics as an easy subject and have

developed high interest in the subject by devoting enough time for the subject. Teachers are

encouraged to strategize their lessons delivery with the use of more teaching and learning

materials, vary the teaching or lesson delivery methods among others.

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 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter deals with the summary of the study and conclusion based on the research

findings as well as recommendations to the study.

Summary

This aspect deals with the summary of the entire research report. The topic for the

research was discovered by the researcher after a lesson was delivered. The researcher

realised that pupils’ knowledge of the topic was far below standard after a test was

conducted.

The study further went on to outline the problem faced by the pupils which resulted in

their inability to read the time on the clock face and some of the ways teachers handle the

subject and how this directly affect the performance of pupils and education as a whole.

The purposive sampling technique was used for the study in choosing the sample size.

Twelve (12) pupils were selected for the study after the problem was identified.

Test, interview and observation were the main instruments employed for the collection

of data from respondents. Statistical methods such as the frequency distribution alongside

percentages were used by the researcher in analyzing the data collection. The analysis

revealed that, lack of interest, limited time and pupils’ perceiving mathematics to be a

difficult subject were the major causes of the problem.

Also, the findings revealed teachers’ inability to use teaching and learning materials, the

appropriate methods, and strategies in teaching as part of the problem.

The researcher therefore, designed a model to re-visit the topic in order to alleviate the

problem. Afterwards, intervention exercise was given and the result revealed a high

performance of pupils.

19
 Conclusion

From the study and the results gathered by the researcher, it clearly showed that,

although the lesson was taught, pupils performed poorly. The study established the fact that

pupils’ poor performance can be attributed to certain factors such as inadequate time for

pupils to study , lack of interest in the subject and perceiving the subject to be difficult.

The study confirmed that, a good performance in mathematics depends on how the

teacher can handle the subject. That is the approaches, strategies and the use of teaching and

learning materials they employ in lesson delivery.

Afterwards, it was observed that the intervention made by the researcher brought a high

improvement in both teachers who handled the subject and pupils as their attitude towards

the learning of mathematics improved.

Recommendations

The researcher encountered certain problem in the process of the study and would like to

give these recommendations which should be strictly adhered to; to improve the teaching

and learning of mathematics.

Due to insufficient time, the project work was limited to only pupils’ inability to read the

time on the clock face without the researcher looking at the other aspects in the syllabus

which pupils are likely to encounter the same problem.

The researcher therefore recommends that, enough time should be given to researchers to

tackle problems faced by pupils within a limited time.

Inadequate funding was another point worthy to write about. This problem restricted the

researcher to the extent that she could not access more vital information necessary for the

success of the study. the researcher therefore, recommends that funds should be made

20
available by the Ghana Education Service to enhance effectiveness of any research work

undertaken.

Again, unavailability of teaching and learning materials and teachers not using the

available ones also imposed a serious problem. The researcher therefore recommends that

teachers should be encouraged to use teaching and learning materials in their lessons as well

as appropriate approaches, methods and strategies of handling the subject. Teachers should

also vary their methods of teaching to suit the level of the pupils in order to ensure full

participation of pupils in the learning process.

Finally, the Ghana Education Service should train teachers with very good backgrounds

in mathematics at the basic schools level to give pupils very good foundation in the subject.

21
 REFERENCES

Ailean P. Duncan et al, (1975), Primary Mathematics Stage one (new ed), London,

. Heineman Educational Ltd.

Alex Williams et al (1976), Mathematics for Life, London, Oxford University Press

B. L. Young (1979), Teaching Primary Science, England, Longman Ltd Page 203

Bruce R. Vogeli et al(1988) Silver Burdett and inn Mathematics, London, Oxford Press,

D. Paling (1982), Teaching Mathematics in Primary Schools, London, Oxford Univer. Press

David Womack et al (1991), Effective Mathematics Teaching (A guide to teaching basic

Mathematical concepts), London, Stanley Thornes Pub. Ltd

Dennis Thyer et al, (1971), Teaching Mathematics to Children, London, Cassell

Educational Ltd.

James Carpy et al (1975), Primary Mathematics; A development through Activity (2nd Ed)

London, Heinemann Educational Ltd

Pamela Liebeck (1984), How Children Learn Mathematics, England, Penguin Group.

22
 APPENDIX

Appendix I

Sample of pupils’ pre-test exercise

23
24
25
Appendix II

Sample of pupils’ post-test exercises

26
 Appendix III

Lesson note used for the intervention

School: Tamatoku Presby Primary Reference: Mathematics Syllabus for Primary schools Page 48-49

Class: Four (4) Mathematics for Primary Schools, Pupils’ book Four, Page

Subject: Mathematics

Day/Duration Topic/Sub-topic Objectives/R.P. T.L.M / T. L.A Core-Points Evaluation/Remarks

DAY TOPIC T.L.M. Chalk board illustration, a

Thursday Measurement OBJECTIVES model of the clock.

By the end of the INTRODUCTION

Sub-topic lesson, pupils will Introduce the lesson by reviewing

DATE Measurement of time be able to pupils’ previous knowledge through

22-11-2007 4.5.4 –read the questioning

clock by the hour e.g. Name any feature of the clock

and minutes hand.

DURATION ATIVITY I Pupils answer the

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60 minutes -Guide pupils to identify and name The hands and their following questions

the hands of the clock and state their functions on a clock What is the time?

R. P. K. functions -the shorter hand of a

Pupils can mention clock is called the

some of the hour hand. It is used

features of a clock. to measure time in

hours

- the longer hand is

called the minute-

hand. It measures time

in minutes.

- the longest and the

tinniest hand is the

seconds’ hand. It

-guide pupils to read the time on measures time in

clock in hours and minutes with the seconds.

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aid of multiples of five. Draw a clock to

indicate the time

shown below

-20 minutes past

12 o’clock

-Quarter to 3 o’clock

-45 minutes past

8 o’clock

CONCLUSAION

Summarize the lesson, give pupils REMARKS

class exercise to do and mark. Lesson was taught

successfully.

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