Mathematics at your fingertips : an intervention study using fingers and games to improve number sense

• Main Author: Betenson, Julie
• Published: University of Bristol 2015
• Subjects: 510.71
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.688347

In recent times a positive relationship between mathematical achievement and the ability to distinguish between fingers has been observed and training to develop finger acuity has been shown to lead to gains in mathematical skills. An association between mathematical achievement and non-symbolic number magnitude comparison has also been established. This mixed methods two phase study therefore addressed whether an intervention programme designed to increase connections between the symbolic and non-symbolic representations of number using fingers as a tool could help students construct a deeper understanding of number and thereby increase their scores on mathematical tests. The phase one studies trialled the intervention programme with classes, groups and one individual who were experiencing difficulties in learning mathematics for a variety of different reasons in order to see if improvements in their mathematical skills could be observed irrespective of these reasons. Phase two was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of using the combination of fingers and games in the intervention activities in comparison to using either part separately or no intervention at all. Results demonstrated that the pupils involved in the intervention demonstrated gains in mathematical achievement greater than those who did not take prut regardless of the reasons for their initial difficulties with mathematics. Results also confirmed that the full intervention groups made significantly more increases in mathematics achievement tests than those who experienced part or no intervention. This suggests that the combined intervention of finger gnosis training and mathematical games with the visual representation of fingers and dot patterns acting as mediators could help children to make connections between symbolic and non-symbolic representations of number and thereby raise their mathematical achievements.