GRADE 10 REGULAR JHS STUDENTS ‘SY 2017-2018 PERCEPTION

ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GAMES

AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

IN DEVELOPING LOGICAL THINKING SKILLS IN MATHEMATICS

______________________________________________

A Research Paper

Presented to the Faculty of

High School Department

University of Batangas

Batangas City

______________________________________________

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements in

Mathematics IV,

English IV

and Science IV

______________________________________________

By:

G10- 1 EVENING

MARCH 2018
 Abstract

This research entitled “Grade 10 Regular JAS Students ‘SY 2017-2018

Perception on the Effectiveness of Games as an Instructional Strategy in Developing
Logical Thinking Skills in Mathematics of Students” primarily aimed to produce a
compilation of games that can enhance an individual’s critical thinking and logical
thinking skills. This study is composed of ways on how to convince students to
participate more in class by different fun math games. In order to arrive at an expected
results and product. The research will undergo through several processes like
observation, evaluation and conduct of survey.

The games will be effective if the students improved their thinking skills. To know
if this study is effective, we will conduct a

Keywords: critical thinking, mathematical skills, logical thinking

 Acknowledgment

The researchers would like to express appreciation and gratitude for all the

guidance, support and effort from the person who showed momentous help and

genuine collaboration to make this research probable.

To their Mathematics teacher, Ms. Diana Rose M. Orlina, who gave researchers

guidance and assistance in doing this research all through the entire phase.

To their class adviser, Ms. Mylene M. Marco, who also guide and support the

researchers.

To all the respondents, for answering our questionnaires that helped us finish our

tasks on our research.

To the parents of the researchers, who supported them financially and allowing

them to attend their every group work for the research paper.

And above all, to God almighty, for his love that inspired the researchers to make

the research positively. For His guidance, to all the researchers who exerted efforts and

having patience during the making of this research paper, for all His blessings that gave

us knowledge and wisdom to make this research paper successful.

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 Dedication

This research work is humbly and wholeheartedly dedicated to those people who
contributed and helped the researchers in conducting and making this research possible
and successful. With the help of this people, the research paper is said to be
triumphant.

To our Almighty God, for his guidance and gift of wisdom and knowledge that
helped us to make our research paper successful.

To our parents, for their unending love, for giving their full support, financial
assistance in completing this study.

To our teachers who served as inspiration and guide to accomplish this study.

And lastly, to our friends who gave all their support and encouragement.

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 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

Math games are kind of essential in learning Mathematics. It not only makes

math fun because of games it also helps students improve their mathematical skills,

critical-thinking or even his logical thinking.

The finding by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel declared math

education in the United States “broken” and called on schools to focus on teaching

fundamental math skills that provide the underpinning for success in high tech jobs. The

panel said that students must be able to add and subtract whole numbers by the end of

third grade and be skilled at adding and subtracting fractions and decimals by the end of

fifth grade.

One of the ways that the teachers have traditionally given students more practice

on their math skills is homework, and yet, eighty-four percent of kids would rather take

out the trash, clean their rooms, or go to the dentist than do their math homework.

More and more in my teaching career, I see that children no longer memorize

their addition facts or multiplication tables. With the math curriculum as extensive as it

is, teachers cannot afford to take the time to ensure that students learn the basic facts

(sad, but true!). Parents are partners in the process and will offer greater opportunities

for their children to succeed in math if they support the learning of the basics at home.

Games fit the bill wonderfully!

Games offer a pleasant way for parents to get involved in their children’s

education. Parents don’t have to be math geniuses to play a game. They don’t have to
worry about pushing or pressuring their children. All that parents have to do is propose

a game to their child and start to play.

Math games for kids and families are the perfect way to reinforce and extend the

skills children learn at school. They are one of the most effective ways that parents can

develop their child’s math skills without lecturing or applying pressure. When studying

math, there’s an element of repetition that’s an important part of learning new concepts

and developing automatic recall of math facts. Number facts can be boring and tedious

to learn and practice. A game can generate an enormous amount of practice – practice

that does not have kids complaining about how much work they are having to do. What

better way can there be than an interesting game as a way of mastering them?

In playing math games, students also strive to win for every game given to them.

It will give them the desire for winning that every students need in improving. While

those that wins will have the confidence to answer every mathematical problems given

to them. Of course, something like that don’t make them strive to study, so we can use it

as an advantage like using prizes for those who wins the math games. If they keep

losing and losing, they will surely ignite their desire to win so they have to study more

and more. There are also games that will tackle tactics and logical thinking so by doing

that they will also improve in strategical and logical thinking. Also, once students get

used to playing math games they will be fluent in solving problems. Their mental solving

improves, their logical thinking improves, a lot of things improve. But teachers should

not forget to discuss their topic and not play games every time. Because students will

get used to it and will forget to read or even listen, that’s the only mistake some

teachers make. Teachers should use games only rarely because it will be hard to teach

once students play games all the time. They will also have a mindset that playing

games make them better at math when the things that make them better at math is the

desire to win and competition in playing math games. It will also help others who are

shy interact with students.

 We chose this topic as our research problem because to know if it really is

beneficial to have math games in the discussion or even activities. We chose some of

the math games that are beneficial because we want the benefits to spread and known

to others. It will not benefit only students but even teachers who has problems regarding

their students that cannot understand some of the topics in Mathematics.

Conceptual Framework

This section presents an overview of the concept study.

 Conceptual Design
 INPUT
Detailed Design PROCESS OUTPUT
 Questionnaire

 Gathering Materials
 Arranging Materials
 Compilation of
Materials
 Administration of
Compilation of Math
Questionnaire
Games

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of games as an instructional tool in

developing the logical thinking skills of Grade 10 Regular Junior High School

students of University of Batangas. It seeks to answer the following questions;

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of

1.1. Age; and

1.2. Gender

1.3. Class

2. What games are usually used by Math teachers

2.1. Salute Multiplication

 2.2. Math Quest

2.3. Improvised Monopoly

2.4. Math Scramble

3. How do games as instructional strategy affect the development of the logical

thinking skills of students?

4. What suggestion can be given to make games more effective in learning

mathematics?

Hypothesis

The strategy of using fun games will be effective in studying mathematics. Fun

games will help the students enhance their knowledge and critical thinking. Fun games

in math will make math more interesting and fun at the same time.

Scope, Limitation, and Delimitation of the Study

This research study only focuses on math games, math games help students

improve their learning in mathematics. A lot of games is essential to every students who

are not that good at math.

While it is good, it does have some limits on how they make students improve like

for example some will think that it is childish.

The study focuses on making students improve their mathematical skills while

having fun in solving problems. While it may seem childish because it is games, math

games do improve critical thinking, logical thinking or even multiplication skills of

students.

This delimits other version of teaching because teaching while playing games are

fun for students. It also makes students have more confidence in their selves. Just that

makes Math Games fun, entertaining and we can also learn a lot by playing games.
Significance of the Study

This study entitled Perception on the Effectiveness of Games as an Instructional

Strategy in Developing Logical Thinking Skills in Mathematics of Students will benefit

the following:

Solving Problems of Students. Students will improve their solving problems by

thinking over and over again of some games that tackle solving problems.

Critical Thinking of Students. Students also improve their critical thinking in some

situation that you have to think twice or even make the best out of their brain thinking.

Multiplication Skills. Some times a game needs you to have your mental

multiplication skills so it is bound to have improvements after a while in playing.

Logical Thinking. Some games only need students to logically think of the

problem then solve it. It will teach students to have common sense.

Strategic Thinking. It will help students improve their tactics on how to score

more on games or have some tactics in having a higher score.

Definition of Terms

For better understanding, the following terms are defined conceptually and

operationally.

Logical thinking. It is a process of clearly moving from one related thought to

another (Britannica 2016). In this study you will learn the definition of logical thinking,

the process of logical thinking, and then test your knowledge with a quiz.
 Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully

conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information

gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or

communication, as a guide to belief and action.

Strategic thinking is a process that defines the manner in which people think

about, assess, view, and create the future for themselves and others.

Instructional is giving detailed information about how something should be done

or operated.

Strategy is a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.

Perception is a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a

mental impression.

Mathematical Game is a game whose rules, strategies, and outcomes are

defined by clear mathematical parameters. Often, such games have simple rules and

match procedures, such as Tic-tac-toe and Dots and Boxes.

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

.
This chapter presents the review of related literature, the review of related

studies and the synthesis. It forms background information to help the researchers

conceptualize the concept of the study and support the needs in finding the answers for

the problems that the researchers would like to answer.

Related Literature

Math games. Math games are kind of essential in learning mathematics. It not

only makes math fun because of games, it also helps students improve their

mathematical skills, critical-thinking or even his logical thinking. This helps the students

to be more participative in class so they can have fun and learn at the same time.

Math games aren’t a waste of time for students. It will help them develop a strong

mental fortitude and it will not let them restrict their lives to being boring. Instead of

telling students to stop playing games why not encourage them to play games that will

increase their learning skill. Math Games are the best example of that kind of game. It

will help them to think logically that will develop common sense in students. It will help

them think critically that are crucial to students for exams. It will help them have a strong

mental fortitude that will help them with the pressure.

The researchers, Robert S. Siegler and Geetha B. Ramani, designed an activity

resembling the popular board game Chutes and Ladders, in which they had 124 pupils
count and move pieces along numbered squares. All the preschoolers tested were from

families that participated in the federal Head Start program, which serves children from

impoverished backgrounds.

Students played that board game four times, for 15 to 20 minutes per sitting, over

a two-week period. At the end of the study, their knowledge of math in four different

areas of number sense had increased greatly, the researchers found. The experiment

has shown the same results among other young students they’ve tested.

Those results, and related research, offer an unconventional strategy for

developing crucial math skills among young, disadvantaged students, including minority

children, scholars say. As it now stands, those pupils’ performance in math traditionally

lags behind that of their better-off and white peers.

Many children from poor families have limited exposure to board games and

simple math-related activities at home. Spending even a small amount of time on fun,

basic board games could spark an early interest in math and produce an academic

payoff later, some researchers say.

“Young people learn a great deal about the world through play, and games are

one source of play,” said Mr. Siegler, a professor of cognitive psychology at Carnegie

Mellon University in Pittsburgh. And when it comes to learning math, he added, “the

games that build understanding of numerical magnitudes are crucial.”

 According to Marilyn Burns’ Article (2003) -Over the forty years that I’ve been

teaching mathematics to children in classrooms and to teachers in workshops, games

have played an important role. I’ve found that both children and teachers are always

delighted to learn a new game. But while children seldom question the value of games,

teachers have often expressed to me that they don’t feel entirely comfortable

incorporating games in their math instruction. They’re not sure that games are a good

use of math time, and they worry that the parents of their students will raise concerns

about games detracting from their children learning “real” math.

It’s important as teachers that we justify the instructional choices that we make in

the classroom. To that end, I offer you my rational for using games to help teach math,

not only to convince you of the worth of games but also to help you communicate with

your students and their families about how games support math learning. I think that

incorporating games into math teaching is beneficial for: providing students practice with

skills; giving students ways to apply mathematical ideas to problem solving situations

and develop strategic thinking, important aspects of mathematical thinking; building

students’ interest in and appreciation for mathematics by engaging them in enjoyable

activities and challenges; supporting the idea that learning can (and should) be as fun

as possible; creating a class menu of choice activities that are educationally valuable

and provide options for those students who complete assignments more quickly than

others.

It is important to make children have their fun in their child days but it is also

important for them to know some knowledge. The best way to that is to do both.

Encouraging children play games while making them learn is the best mindset for

teachers. “I’m hoping they can reach the point where they understand that six spaces,
plus four, equals 10,” explained Ms. McPartland, who’s been teaching for 25 years. A

large percentage of her pupils, she estimates, come from impoverished backgrounds.

Games “are relevant to children,” she said. “It’s something tangible for children. They

can see and touch [them].”

It will have a huge impact to students if you have them play math games.

“There’s a huge amount of math in these board games and card games that is not on

television and video games,” Mr. Clements said. “Even if you played once or twice a

week, it would probably have a real effect on kids.” Monopoly a popular game for family

can be improvised to make it so that while playing you can also learn more about

mathematics. The same goes for the game “Math Quest” it also makes students have

fun while playing while learning some things. Just because it is a game doesn’t mean it

will harm the student’s mind.

Math Games cannot be defined as something dangerous for students, the same

goes for other games. Adults should learn that games aren’t dangerous for students, a

lot of games helps students. Parents should stop with their “all you do is play games.”

kind of stuff, what they should do is ask their children what they are playing and learn its

value to bond with them. Teachers should encourage “Using games for education” kind

of things.

A study co-authored by researchers at MIT, Harvard University, and New York

University now sheds light on the ways preschool activities may — or may not — help

children develop cognitive skills. The study, based on an experiment in Delhi, India,

engaged preschool children in math games intended to help them grasp concepts of
number and geometry, and in social games intended to help them cooperate and learn

together. The results contained an unexpected wrinkle. Children participating in the

math games did retain a superior ability to grasp those concepts more than a year later,

compared to children who either played only the social games or did not participate.

However, the exercises did not lead to better results later, when the children entered a

formal classroom setting. “It’s very clear you have a significant improvement in the math

skills” used in the games, says Esther Duflo, the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of

Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT and co-author of the study. “We

find that the gains are persistent … which I think is quite striking.” However, she adds,

by the time the children in the study were learning formal math concepts in primary

school, such as specific number symbols, the preschool intervention did not affect

learning outcomes. “All the kids [in primary school] had learned, but they had learned

[those concepts] equally,” says Duflo, who is a co-founder of MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel

Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), which conducts field experiments, often in education,

around the globe.

According to the research by the researchers of MIT, Harvard University and

New York University. Children starting from the age of 5 are starting to learn more about

common sense and the games given to them by their study helped those students

develop superior skills in math and have more common sense than their age group.

While it may seem good there are also complications. The researchers have been

analyzing why the intervention did not produce improvements in school results. One

possibility, Duflo observes, is that children in Delhi primary schools learn math in a rote

style that may not have allowed the experiment’s set of games to have an effect. Kids in

these schools, she observes, “are [only] learning to sing ‘1 times 1 is 1, 1 times 2 is 2.’”

For this reason, Duflo notes, the greater understanding of the concepts provided by the

preschool math games might be more beneficial when aligned with a different kind of
curriculum. Or, Spelke puts it, “the negative thing that we learned” from the study is that

lab work is not necessarily “sufficient to establish what actually causes knowledge to

grow in the mind of a child, over timespans of years in the environments in which

children live and learn.” With that in mind, the research team is designing follow-up

studies in which the games will segue more seamlessly into the curriculum being used

in a particular school district. “We want to include in the games themselves some

element of bridging between the intuitive knowledge of mathematics and the formal

knowledge they will be actually exposed to,” Duflo says. J-PAL is currently engaged in

developing projects along these lines in both India and the U.S.

Related Studies

Hoak’s (2009) thesis, Mathematical Games, investigates the complexity of three

puzzles, Peg Solitaire, Grid and Power Grid, by using Constraint Logic, a reduction tool

developed by Hearn and Demaine. For that end, the basics of complexity theory and

Constraint Logic are developed and then applied to these examples. While the games

are not proved to be NP-complete in their natural forms, reduced forms are shown to be

NP-complete, which points toward a relatively high level of difficulty in making

algorithms for the original puzzles.

Song’s Thesis (1993), Designing Game-Based Interactive Mathematics Learning

Environments for Children, states that with the tremendous growth of the use of

computers in schools, sound research is needed on how to design interactive learning

environments that effectively help children by promoting reflective cognition and better

learning. Bubble Puzzle, a game-based interactive learning activity aimed at assisting

elementary school children in understanding fractions was developed. Techniques such

as visual feedback and scaffolding were used in the design to promote reflective

cognition. Two studies with 47 elementary school children were conducted to evaluate
the educational effectiveness and the design features of Bubble Puzzle. It was found

that playing the game helped children gain a better understanding of the underlying

mathematical concepts, and led to statistically significant improvements on test scores.

The results suggest that Bubble Puzzle provided a motivating learning environment, and

that the entertainment features of the game matched children’s interests and were

conducive to children’s enjoyment of the learning activity.

Cody, Rule, and Forsyth’s Thesis, Mathematical Game Creation and Play Assists

Students in Practicing Newly-Learned Challenging Concepts, states that with Twenty-

four high-performing fifth grade students (aged 10 - 11 years) participated in a year-long

study in which conditions alternated for six instructional units between lecture-based

mathematics instruction and practice through solving additional problems in small

groups versus practice through designing and playing mathematics games related to

the topic. Students scored similarly on all units at the time of the posttest. Creating

games allowed students to examine concepts on their own, making sense of them at a

deeper level, avoiding confusion. Game-making may also have made the mathematics

more personal, relevant, and interesting. The authors suggest that mathematics

teachers consider adding game-making to their strategies for practicing and applying

mathematical concepts.