The Impact of Use of Manipulatives on the Math Scores of Grade 2 Students

Abstract

Today’s society places a lot of pressure on schools, teachers, and students to improve test scores.This paper discusses the possibility of using mathematical manipulatives to improve student testscores and students’ attitudes towards mathematics. Forty-three Grade 2 students with age rangesbetween six and eight from a rural town in Saskatchewan were selected. They were dividedrandomly into two groups: the treatment group (n=22) and the control group (n=21) and theirpre- and post-test scores compared. Findings supported the hypothesis that students in thetreatment group who received the math intervention obtained higher post-test scores incomparison to their classmates in the control group.