UTILIZATION OF MATHEMATICAL MEASUREMENTS IN THE DAILY LIVES OF

KANKANA-EY TRIBES IN TADIAN, MT. PROVINCE

A Thesis
Presented to the
College of Teacher Education
Benguet State University
La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines

A Course Requirement
for the Subject Math Ed 102

History of Mathematics

FYEBELLE S. BAWENGAN
2022
 Chapter I
INTRODUCTION

During this time, mathematics is viewed as a flawless science with ultimate truth

at this time, and it is unrelated to ordinary life. Mathematics is usually taught in schools

as a culturally free subject, and it entails acquiring apparently globally recognized facts,

concepts, and contents. Nonetheless, according to Nurhasan et al. (2017), mathematics

is a universal knowledge that underpins science and technology advancement.

Mathematics is a natural part of everyday life, and every activity is inextricably linked to

mathematical activity (Muhtadi, 2017). Furthermore, every society's life is marked by

cultural ideals, customs, and symbols. Culture plays a critical role in human life and

society, influencing economic, social, religious, and educational activities. Cultural

values influence education in general and mathematics education in particular. Hence,

even in its most basic form, mathematics has always been a component of human

society. This implies that culture and mathematics are intertwined.

A field of study that is used to identify the connection between culture and

mathematics is ethnomathematics. Ethnomathematics is described as the study of

mathematics and mathematics education from a cultural perspective. The terms

“ethnomathematics” are made up of two words: "ethno" and "mathematics." According

to Septianawati (2021), the term ethno refers to "all of the elements that go into a

group's cultural identity, such as language, codes, values, jargon, beliefs, meals and

clothing, habits, and physical characteristics." Mathematics is defined as a series of

tasks such as measuring, categorizing, sorting, summing, and modeling. Moreover,

Barton argued that ethnomathematics explores how individuals from different cultures.
comprehend, explain, and employ concepts and behaviors that are native to their

culture but are described as mathematical by the researcher.

Based on the most recent Lineham (2021), ethnomathematics aims to make

each student in the classroom feel valued and linked to their roots, making them more

resistant to harassment and dominance. The ultimate objective is to promote and

preserve world peace by instilling a value for and enjoyment of cultural variety in our

educational system. Given the wide range of pupils in each of our courses, this appears

to be a difficult task: to integrate the cultures of all of the kids in my math class.

Furthermore, according to Tylenda (2016), ethnomathematics is a way for teachers to

connect mathematical knowledge with their students. A teacher can help pupils discover

connections between mathematics and the world around them by including cultural

elements. Integrating ancient, popular, and student cultures gives the instructor a

foundation on which to build and enable interesting mathematics classes.

One of the major issues facing math teachers is how to more effectively,

enjoyably, and successfully communicate mathematical principles and material to

students. In recent years, debates have centered on the role of culture in the promotion

of arithmetic taught in schools (Fouze & Amit, 2018). Hence, educators and researchers

proposed that mathematics teaching and learning should reflect and welcome the

cultural variety that exists in our classrooms and in our increasingly interrelated society

(Brandt & Chernoff, 2015).

In accordance with that, many studies have been carried out and numerous

curricula have been implemented by math instructors and researchers all across the

world. Researchers approved the ethnomathematics approach and stressed the need of
including cultural components and values into mathematics education. According to

them, an ethno mathematical curriculum aids in the development of student abilities and

talents, as well as a deeper understanding of the content and improved arithmetic

performance (Lipka et al., 2012; Verner et al., 2013; Amit & Fouzer, 2018).

Thus, implementation of ethnomathematics in learning is important in todays’

generation. Through the study of ethnomathematics students have a better

understanding of mathematical ideas as well as a greater appreciation for their cultures

and the ability to adopt values from them, which has an influence on the creation of

national character. Students who are imbued with a noble cultural character will

undoubtedly deal with the negative consequences of global change.

Although several research (Lipka et al., 2012), (Verner et al., 2013), (Nurhasan et

al., 2017), (Amit & Fouzer, 2018), (Lineham, 2021) have been undertaken on the use of

mathematical measures in people's daily life. The purpose of this research is to look at

how the Kankana-ey tribes in Tadian, Mt. Province, use mathematical measures in their

everyday life.

Background of the Study

Ethnomathematics is the analysis of mathematical concepts integrated in cultural

practices, and it recognizes that all cultures and people develop their own ways and

sophisticated explanations for comprehending and changing their own realities. It has

specific activities based on six dimensions of necessary universal mathematical

activities, such as counting, discovering, measuring, designing, playing, and explaining

(Umbara et al., 2021). However, this study focused on the mathematics of measurement

in the daily lives of the Kankana-ey tribe.

 Cuemath defines measurement as "a system or act of measuring." It can be

thought of as a method of defining physical objects through the use of numbers.

Measurement is generally treated as a separate field of mathematics since it

encompasses a wide range of concepts such as conversion, units, and measuring

length, mass, and time. It is also linked to other fields such as geometry, trigonometry,

algebra, and so on. We use the concept of measurement with shapes (area, volume,

etc. ), measuring heights and distances using trigonometric ratios is also a type of

measurement (trigonometry), and measuring unknown quantities or variables to

establish a general relationship is also a type of measurement (trigonometry) (algebra).

Mathematical measurement plays an important role in people's daily lives. It

allows us to use numbers to quantify the world around us. Simple things like length,

weight, and temperature are described using numbers, as are more sophisticated things

like pressure, speed, and brightness. Understanding how humans assign numbers to

phenomena, as well as familiarity with basic measurement units such as inches, liters,

and miles per hour, as well as a practical knowledge of measurement instruments and

processes, are all essential for comprehending the world around us.

According to Bryant, measurement makes our lives better and safer while also

improving the quality and quantity of life. The ability to precisely quantify physical

qualities has arguably enormous survival value, providing humans with an adaptive,

evolutionary advantage refined over thousands of years of natural selection.

Furthermore, Writer (2020) stated that measurements are important in everyday

life because they are used to perform basic tasks such as taking a child's temperature

with a thermometer, estimating time, measuring medicine, and determining the weights,
areas, and volumes of various materials or substances. People utilize measurements in

everyday chores such as cooking, where they may need to use a weighing scale or

read an oven's temperature for baking foods.

Measurement has an impact on many elements of our lives. In this study,

measurement is linked to the Kankana-ey tribe's daily existence because they use it in a

variety of ways to do basic activities. The Kankanaey are a tribal group belonging to the

"Igorots'' who inhabit the uplands of Benguet and western Mt. Province. They are one

among the region's largest tribes. Kankana-eys are noted for being dedicated

agriculturalists who have already embraced modern technology. It is critical for us to

understand the exact value of anything in order to improve our life. It also improves life

quality and quantity. For instance, during a medical examination, construction of a

home, transportation, cooking or baking, and so on.

Conceptual Framework
The purpose of this study is to look into the utilization of mathematical

measurements in the daily lives of Kankana-ey tribes. It is evaluated on two dimensions

namely. It also included demographic features such as age, sex, employment status,

and monthly income, all of which play a role in the utilization of mathematical

measurement of the Kankana-ey tribe.

Statement of the Problem

This study focuses on the utilization of mathematical measurements in the daily

lives of Kankana-ey tribes in Tadian, Mt. Province. Specifically, it seeks to respond on

the following questions:

1. What is the profile of respondents as to:

 1.1. age;

1.2. sex;

1.3. year/grade level; and

1.5. school type

2. Is there a significant difference in the level of utilization of mathematical

measurements in the daily lives of Kankana-ey tribes when grouped by:

3.1. profile; and

3.2. dimension?

3. What is the proposed intervention program to improve the utilization of mathematical

measurements in the daily lives of Kankana-ey tribes?

Null Hypothesis

Because of the proceedings, the following will be advanced:

1. There is no significant difference in the level of utilization of mathematical

measurements in the daily lives of Kankana-ey tribes when grouped by:

1.1. profile; and

1.2. dimension.
 Chapter II

Methodology

The research design, population/subject, locale of the study, data gathering

procedure, data gathering tools and treatment of data are all highlighted and discussed

in this chapter.

Research Design

The study examines the level of utilization of the mathematical measurements in

the daily lives of Kankana-ey tribes using a quantitative-correlational research method.

It involves describing the features of a phenomenon, circumstance, or population that

enables researchers to gather data for statistical analysis through a questionnaire.

Population/Subject

The respondents are students of Cagubatan National High School.

Locale of the Study

This study will be conducted at Cagubatan National High School located at

Cagubatan, Tadian, Mountain Province.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researcher will follow certain procedures in order to complete the study. The

researcher will administer the study by giving the reproduced copy of questionnaires to

their teacher, then, during school hours the teacher will distribute the questionnaires to

the students. The researcher will observe data privacy when the questionnaires are

collected, and the findings will be tallied, examined, and analyzed.

Data Gathering Tools

The questionnaire is divided into two components; the first component

establishes the respondent's profile in terms of age, sex, year/grade level and school

type. The second component asks the students to check the circle of the chosen

number to indicate their level of utilization of the mathematical measurements in the

daily lives of the Kankana-ey tribes. This part also contains two (2) dimensions namely

learning design and learning media. Further, out of a total of twenty-eight items, thirteen

(13) are in the first dimension and fifteen (15) are in the second dimension.

Treatment of Data

To make interpretation and analysis easier, the researcher will analyze the data

with quantitative and correlational statistics. The percentage for data will be utilized to

establish the age, sex, year/grade level and school type of respondents. In terms of

learning design and learning media, the weighted mean will be utilized to determine the

level of utilization of mathematical measurements in the daily lives of the Kankana-ey

tribes. The test will be used to assess whether there is a significant difference in the

level of utilization of mathematical measurements in the daily lives of the Kankana-ey

tribes when grouped by dimensions and profile.