Advisers

Abraham P. Muyrong II, PhD

Discipline

Education

Abstract

Mathematics manipulatives provide concrete representations that can help young learners compare 2-dimensional shapes through visual, tactile, and kinesthetic activity. This study evaluated Take It, Push It as an instructional manipulative for first-grade learners who were developing foundational shape-recognition and comparison skills. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design involved two hundred two (202) Grade 1 learners from Nagkaisang Nayon Elementary School selected through stratified sampling. Quantitative assessments measured understanding of shape concepts, and a survey questionnaire gathered teachers’ perceptions of the material. Most Grade 1 learners were six years old (92%), and 55% were female. The pretest mean was 5.12 (“proficient”; SD = 2.41), while the posttest mean was 7.31 (“highly proficient”; SD = 1.87). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that none of the 202 learners scored lower after the intervention (Z = -12.040, p = .000). The p-value should be reported as an inequality rather than as zero. The higher posttest scores suggest that Take It, Push It supported learning about two-dimensional shapes. Continuous assessment, feedback, and guided manipulation may sustain engagement.

Keywords

take it, push it, mathematics manipulatives, 2-dimensional shapes, grade 1 learners, early mathematics