The Child's Introduction to Mathematics: A Transfer Model Based in Measurement

Tested was a method of learning numeration, addition, and subtraction using measuring operations in place of the more usual counting operations. It is claimed that an approach through "units of measurement" to continuous variables is mathematically more powerful than counting, which leads only to nominal and ordinal variables. Twelve children selected from the lowest achievement group of a middle class kindergarten were given a pretest of general mathematical ability and randomly assigned by matched pairs to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 17 days of individual instruction by the experimeter, in which the student used an electro-mechanical measuring device as a learning aid. A conservation test was given to all students as a pre- and posttest, and the mathematical ability test was readministered as a further posttest. Analysis by a correlated t-test showed that the experimental group made significant gains on both tests; the changes in the control group's scores were not significant. (MM)