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Effect of Performance in Basic Mathematical Operations Among Rural Upper

Primary Children

Article  in  International Journal of Scientific Research · April 2014

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 Volume : 3 | Issue : 11 | November 2014 • ISSN No 2277 - 8179
Research Paper

Education
Effect of Performance in Basic
KEYWORDS : Basic mathematical opera-
Mathematical Operations Among Rural tions, performance, addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, selected strategies
Upper Primary Children

Mrs. M.Kavitha Ph.D Scholar, Department of Education, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu.

Dr.AR.Saravanakumar Assistant Professor in Education, DDE,Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu.

ABSTRACT In this article we have dealt with the concept of using some strategies to enhance the performance in basic math-
ematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division among rural upper primary children.
The strategies are Arithmetic games, Rhymes and Educational activities. The rural upper primary children find it very difficult to do the
basic mathematical operations as they were taught in the conventional method of teaching. By giving proper training in basic mathematical
operations through the activity based strategies, we can enhance the learners’ performance in mathematics. When they become thorough in
basic mathematical operations, they themselves get ready to do more complex operations in mathematics. They become more confident than
before in doing sums. Continuous practice in these strategies and proper guidance leads to the best performance of the rural upper primary
students in basic mathematical operations.

INTRODUCTION with the slow learners (Kavitha M and Dr. AR. Saravanakumar,
Education is the source of knowledge which shows the real way 2012). It also calls for an understanding of the learning process-
in the various fields of life. Education that is given to students es essential for creating an environment where learning can take
in schools is expected to help them realize their true potential, place and for making instruction so stimulating that every pupil
so that they put it into effective use for their well-being as well will be motivated to learn. Stimulating pupil to think critically,
as that of their fellow-beings. As there is always a wide gap be- independently and creatively is essential for effective teaching.
tween expectation and outcome, majority of school-going stu- The immense knowledge explosion-taking place in students
dents never get an opportunity to know or to utilize their true needs unique experience in the presentation of the content. A
potentials. Since school education has been reduced for coach- review of the available research literature showed that studies
ing students to get through the examinations, the transaction relating to ‘study techniques and their impact on the academic
of curriculum in the classroom leaves out a wide range of skills achievement of children’ are negligible in number.
that the students require to master in their subjects.
Each of the study technique that the above average and high -
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, the three R’s as they are called achieving students revealed has definite steps in it. The utility of
were considered as synonymous with education. Of course the these techniques in bringing about improvement in the academ-
definition of education has changed and modified, the impor- ic performance has been reported upon by students as feedback.
tance of arithmetic remains. Much of the human progress has However, the impact of all these study techniques on the learn-
been possible because of the use of arithmetic and mathematics. ing outcomes of the students of differential ability groups – low
The manipulation of numbers helps children to understand vari- achievers, below average, above average and high achievers – is
ous physical and even social phenomena better. Elementary and yet to be scientifically investigated. Hence, it is strongly felt that
Primary education is the most crucial period for the physical, in- a study of the applicability of these newly evolved techniques of
tellectual and emotional development of a child. It is, therefore, study on students with differential abilities would help them in
very important that effective methods of teaching arithmetic are a big way in making them perform well in the subjects of their
adopted by the teachers (Kavitha M and Dr. AR. Saravanakumar, study in mathematics in particular.
2012). It is generally believed that if the arithmetic teaching is
improved the general standard of education will generally im- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
prove. In the entire system of school education, the most impor- Mathematics is the study of numbers, counting and measur-
tant stake holder is the student. The emphasis of school educa- ing. Mathematics involves the study of number patterns and
tion is on “learning” and hence the “learner” is at the centre of relationships, too. It is also a way to communicate ideas, and
school education. perhaps more than anything, it is a way of reasoning that is
unique to human beings. Mathematics plays a vital role in the
RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY modernization of this civilization. It is everywhere and affects
The effectiveness of the selected strategies will enhance the un- the everyday lives of people. Although it is abstract and theo-
derstanding of basic mathematical operations. The researcher retical knowledge, it emerges from the real world. Mathematics
has made an attempt to deal with all kinds of approaches and is one of the essential and basic areas of the college curriculum
in particular has selected the strategies as a suitable means to which has a wide field of subject matter. In education, math-
enhance the understanding of the basic mathematical opera- ematics play an important role. It is the study of numbers the
tions among the rural upper primary children. He finds that the relationship between these number and various operations per-
selected strategies will be helpful to the students to learn and re- formed on them (Kavitha M and Dr. AR. Saravanakumar, 2012).
tain in memory easily and enable them to score high marks in It is the science of quantity, size and shape. It is also a way to
examinations. Hence the study is necessitated. communicate and analyze ideas, a tool for organizing and in-
terpreting data and above all, perhaps a method of logical rea-
NEED FOR THE STUDY soning unique to man. The well known study techniques like
Teaching effectively is the most important of all the competen- mnemonics, educational games etc. Have been researched upon
cies required of a successful teacher. Since effective teaching and their impact on memory and understanding are well es-
deals with the needs, interest and abilities of pupils and indi- tablished, whereas the ones which the investigator evolved are
viduals, it requires knowledge of the environment in which the based on the interaction of the students and those techniques
pupil lives, the development problem he or she faces and his/her have to be studied scientifically. Hence, a study that deals with
mental abilities. It is more true so when the teacher is dealing the understanding and use of select study techniques by stu-

122 IJSR - INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Research Paper Volume : 3 | Issue : 11 | November 2014 • ISSN No 2277 - 8179

dents in learning mathematics and the impact of those tech- STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
niques on the learning outcomes has become significant to the The following statistical techniques are used for the analysis of
investigator. data.

ASSUMPTIONS 1. Descriptive Analysis

1. Students find it difficult to perform basic mathematical op- 2. Differential Analysis
erations.
2. It is possible to improve their performance in basic math- FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
ematical operations. 1. The selected strategies implemented in class VIII has signifi-
cantly enhanced the performance of the students of the ex-
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY perimental group in basic mathematical operations.
To develop, validate and test the effectiveness of selected strat- 2. The selected strategies enhanced the performance of the
egies in improving basic mathematical operations among rural boys of the experimental group in basic mathematical op-
upper primary children. erations.
3. The selected strategies implemented in Class VIII has signif-
MAJOR HYPOTHESIS icantly enhanced the performance of the girls of the experi-
Selected strategies will significantly enhance the performance in mental group in basic mathematical operations.
basic mathematical operations among rural upper primary chil- 4. The selected strategies implemented in class VIII has signifi-
dren. cantly enhanced the performance of the students of the ex-
perimental group studying in the rural areas in basic math-
SCOPE OF THE STUDY ematical operations.
1. Only problems of children in basic mathematical operations 5. The selected strategies used either singly or a combination
will be considered for the research work. of two enhanced the performance of the students of class
2. The study is restricted to one upper primary class which will VIII in basic mathematical operations.
serve as the experimental group and another group will serve
as the control group. CONCLUSION
3. The effectiveness of the select study techniques on the aca- Effective learning, retention, recall, and success in examina-
demic achievement in mathematics is to be studied. tions depend upon the techniques of study the students employ
through out their student life. Hence it is imperative that they
METHODOLOGY get to know the techniques from their better performing peers.
Research Method Wastage in education can be eliminated if each student knows
The Experimental Research method was adopted to evaluate the study techniques suitable for his/her subjects of study.
the effect of the selected strategies programme on the academic
achievement of children. Parellel Group Randomized Pre-test – The classroom transaction should ensure that discussion on
Post-test Design was adopted for this study. study habits, study skills and study techniques form an integral
part of curriculum. In addition to knowledge, skills and atti-
Sample tudes, the school curriculum should focus on making students
In this study the sample for the study, namely the students of auto-learners so that they are developed into self-dependent in-
Class VIII studying in the middle schools situated in the Siva- dividuals capable of taking decisions about their life confidently.
ganga District, Tamil Nadu are divided into two groups; the ex-
perimental and control. Out of all the schools in the Sivaganga Achievement becomes total as the student gets exposed to these
district, 15 schools have been selected randomly. The experi- learning sources. Failure to have exposure in any one or a com-
ment has a total 160 students. They are chosen randomly from bination of these sources shall result in gaps in learning or faulty
15 schools which are rural government middle schools. All the learning or incomplete learning. The teachers are duty bound to
VIII standard students from the 15 panchayat union middle ensure that their students actualize the educational objectives
schools in the Thiruppattur Union, Sivaganga District. Out of envisaged by curriculum framers, educationists and philoso-
the 160 students, 80 were control group and 80 were experimen- phers so as to make their existence meaningful and rewarding.
tal group. The control group has a total of 80 students consist-
ing of 40 boys and 40 girls. Similarly, the experimental group has
a total of 80 students consisting of 40 boys and 40 girls.

REFERENCE Hilberg, R. Soleste; Tharp, Roland G. (2002). Theoretical Perspectives, Research Findings, and Classroom Implications of the Learning Styles of
American Indian and Alaska Native Students. ERIC/CRESS, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348. Tel:800-624-9120. | Kavitha, M., and Dr. AR.
Saravanakumar (2012), Teaching Arithmetic: Effective and Innovative Strategies for Mathematical Operations, Indian Journal of Applied Research, Vol. II, Issue: 1. | Kavitha, M., and
Dr. AR. Saravanakumar (2012), Teaching Strategies for Simplifying Fractions in Mathematics, Indian Journal of Applied Research, Vol. I, Issue: 4. | McNeil, Patrick (2003). Improving
Own Learning and Performance. Teaching and Learning. Learning and Skills Development Agency, Regent Arcade House, 19-25, Argyl Street, London W1F 7LS, United Kingdom. |
Tyaki. S.K. (2008). Teaching of Arithmetic. India: Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. |

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