Exploring The Use Of Manipulatives In Teaching Number Sense In Grade 2: Oshana Region, Namibia

ABSTRACT 

The main purpose of this study was to establish how selected Grade 2 teachers in the Oshana region used manipulatives when teaching number sense aspects in mathematics. The study wanted to establish in what way the teachers’ understanding of number sense and use of manipulatives influenced the Grade 2 learners’ performance in selected number sense skills. The target population was all government schools with Grade 2 classes in the Oshana Region. The sample for the study was purposively selected. Four urban schools using English as the medium of instruction in the Lower Primary phase were selected. A total of eight teachers and eight Grade 2 classes were the respondents of the study. This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods for collecting the data. Data collection tools included a pre – observation interview with the Grade 2 teachers, a classroom observation form rating teacher behaviour by using a Likert scale, field notes taken during lesson observation, a post-observation questionnaire to be completed by teachers after each lesson taught and finally a test with a Likert scale to evaluate each Grade 2 class’ performance in selected number sense skills. The findings revealed that the Grade 2 teachers included in this study did not have a proper understanding of a) number sense and b) the effective use of appropriate manipulatives for teaching number sense skills. Their learners also performed poorly in the number sense skills. The study therefore recommends that the Ministry of Education should make Lower Primary teachers thoroughly aware of the importance of developing a solid number sense during the early years of schooling and to equip Lower Primary teachers with the necessary skills on the use of manipulatives in their lessons. It is also recommended that a comparative study between educational regions should be carried out to establish if the poor understanding of number sense and use of manipulatives is a general occurrence among Grade 2 teachers in all educational regions throughout the country