Republic of the Philippines

COMMISION ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Region IX, Zamboanga Peninsula
Dr. Aurelio Mendoza Memorial Colleges
Ipil Zamboanga Sibugay

An Action Research under the basic

Education Research Submitted to the Schools Division Research Committee,

Department of Education, Division of Zamboanga Sibugay

Improving Mathematics Performance in Counting through the Use

of Concrete Objects of Grade 1 Glory

Author:

Princess May Jison

Lyndie C. Palero
Grace C. Mandar
Irene Saratao
 I. ABSTARCT

This action research aim to improve and evaluate the counting skills of Grade 1

Section Glory pupils of Dr. Aurelio Mendoza Memorial Colleges through the use of

concrete objects. The teacher’s in class observations, examination of the students’

homework notebooks and familial interviews were taken into consideration in the

selection of the participants. Observation and interviews were conducted as a

preliminary study to determine the student’s level of readiness for mathematics

lessons. Before and after the intervention, we measured the students’ level

regarding counting skills through an evaluation of their counting abilities. The

results indicate that the designed intervention increased the acquisition level of

skills related in counting principles, constituting an effective instrument to

enhance counting skills for the children. In particular, after the intervention

children improved significantly in skills such as rhythmic counting, meaningful

counting, one to one correspondence, quantity comparison while his confusion

with number conservation remained. Finally, the role of the age participants was

also analyzed in relation to their acquired counting skills, indicating that children

are more interactive regarding of what they see in their surrounding that catches

their eyes.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher would like to thank those who contributed to the completion of this

research,

First, we are so grateful to our respectable instructor, Mr. Junrey A. Mosquesa, for

his unending astute guidance, advice, and knowledge, which were necessary in

order to complete this action research proposal.

Thank you so much for the support and presence; this had a big impact and

helped us develop valuable lessons of patience, teamwork, and perseverance.

Second, we would also like to thank everyone who’s involved for their commitment

to this project.

Last but not least, we would like to thank God for giving us the strength and

opportunity to undertake the action research proposal. Without his guidance and

mercy, we would not be able to carry all of this.

 II. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE

Due to Covid19, which affected the Philippines, pre-school education was affected

for a while Mathematics education aims to give children a positive attitude

towards mathematics, to develop children's problem-solving skills, to help them

establish cause-effect relationships, and to improve their mathematical language

skills (MEB, 2013). Development is very rapid in the pre-school period, the basic

concepts, and skills that children acquire in this period form the basis of

mathematical knowledge and concepts in school life when they start formal

education (Karakuş & Akman, 2016). Schools are responsible for planning and

implementing activities that will support children's mathematical thinking skills in

the preschool period. They should create new learning opportunities that support

the child to develop their existing abilities, acquire new skills and serve as a good

model for the child (Kandır & Orçan Kaçan 2010). The basic mathematical

concepts and skills that should be acquired for the mathematical development of

children in early childhood include matching, classification, comparison, ordering,

grouping, sharing, number and operation concepts. (Aktaş-Arnas, 2013;

Charlesworth & Lind, 2009).

Math in first grade is important to help young children to develop their

mathematical thinking and heathy brain, according to Van Gelder (2005)

improving critical thinking abilities requires practice and to be actively engaged in

the skill of thinking critically. Van Gelder’s (2001) recommendations for improving

critical thinking included practice of: active engagement, transfer of learning,

understanding theories, thinking map skills, the ability to identify biases and

being open to what should be considered ‘truth.’

In this context, the counting numbers of Grade 1 and problem solving are based

on their experienced and their understanding, adopting an approach from

concrete to abstract in numbers teaching, actions can be done by first passing to

the phase where real objects, object pictures, and then representations and

finally numbers are used without using any objects or

representations (May, 2001; Olkun & Ucar, 2007). Based on all the above-

mentioned statements, it is wise to mention that mathematics instruction is a

gradual process and the concept of readiness through the use of concrete objects

is one of the key concepts for further learning.

 III. INNOVATION, INTERVENTION AND STRATEGY

The counting skills intervention program focuses on verbal and object counting
skills in the range of 1-20.

SCHEDULE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP CONTROLLED GROUP

DAY 1 Leaners Identify the objects Learners interactive by copying the
(5Colored stones) presented in teacher while counted 5 colored
the table and teacher started stones.
counting 1 to 5
DAY 2 Learner identify the same Interactives when they see 5 colored
object presented by day 1 stone and start counting.
experimental on the table.
DAY 3 Learner identify new concrete Interactive by copying the teacher
object (5green and red apples) while counted presented objects.
and start counting 1 to 10.
DAY 4 Learner identify same object Interactive when they see 7crayon
presented day 3 experimental color and start counting.
(5 green and red apples) and
start counting 1 to 10.
DAY 5 Learner identify the two Interactive Learners when they see the
concrete objects presented on concrete objects presented and start
the day 1 and day 3 (5colored counting.
stone and 10 apples) and start
counting.
 IV. ACTION RESEACH QUESTION

The objective of this action research is to determine the reading skills of

Grade-1 Glory pupil through concrete objects.

1. What is the total average score of ten Pre-test and Post-test of Grade-1 Glory

pupils in actual activity demonstration in mathematics subject after using

concrete object?

2. What is the total average score of Pre-test and Post-test of ten Grade-1 Glory

pupils in actual activity demonstration in mathematics subject without using

concrete object?

3. Is there a significant difference between the total average scores of the Post-test

of five pupils using concrete objects and the five pupils of Grade-1 Glory without

using the concrete objects in the actual activity?

V. ACTION RESEACH METHODS

A. Participants and other sources of Data Information

PARENTS

Children’s education is greatly influenced by their parents. They are best

able to identify their children strength and weaknesses because of COVID19

 pandemic kids are divided into modules and parents have a significant

influence on how their kids learn.

TEACHER

When teaching counting with concrete objects, the teachers must be

creative.

A. EXPERIMENTAL GROUP

B. CONTROLLED GROUP

B. Data gathering methods

1. Observation and Feedback

2. Documentation and Recording

VI. DISCUSSION OF RESULT AND REFLECTION

The main goal of this research was to improve the counting skills of Grade 1

Section Glory pupils through the use of concrete objects.

To examine the difference between the means of the Pre-test and Post-test of the

controlled and the experimental groups. In addition, this study also aims to

determine the means of the Pre-test and Post-test results among the controlled the

experiment groups.
 EXPERIMENTAL GROUP
Pre-Test and Post-Test Means

5 no. of respondent

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Post-test Mean Pre-test Mean

Means Score
Figure 1. Pre-test and Post-test Means of Experimental Group

Problem 1. What is the total average score of ten Pre-test and Post-test of

Grade-1 Glory pupils in actual activity demonstration in mathematics subject

after using concrete object?

Based on the graph data above, the mean score(15) of the post-test are more

advance than the mean score (4) of the pre-test in the experimental group which

has the difference off 11. This showed that after the intervention was conducted,

the scores of the leaners had increased.

 CONTROL GROUP
Pre-Test and Post-Test Means

5 no. of respondent

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Post-test Mean Pre-test Mean

Means Score
Figure 2. Pre-test and Post-test Means of controlled Group

Problem 2. What is the total average score of Pre-test and Post-test of ten

Grade-1 Glory pupils in actual activity demonstration in mathematics subject

without using concrete object?

Illustration number 2 above, the means score (4) of the pre-test was closer to the

mean score (5) of the post-test in the controlled group. The two means had the

difference of 3. Thus, it indicates that the data score of the pupils in their Pre-test

and Post-test were almost the same.

 CONTROLLED AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS
Pre-Test and Post-Test Means

5 no. of respondent

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Controlles Group post-test means Experimental Group post-test means

Figure 3. Pre-test and Post-test Means of Controlled and Experimental Groups

Problem 3. Is there a significant difference between the total average scores

of the Post-test of five pupils using concrete objects and the five pupils of

Grade-1 Glory without using the concrete objects in the actual activity?

Based on the illustration number 3 above, the post-test mean score (15) of the

experimental group are more advance the post-test means score (5) of the

controlled group. This showed that the mean scores of the two groups in their

post-test has a greater different of 10. Thus, the scores in the post-test of the

experimental group had really increased.

In addition, it showed that the intervention given in the experimental group

improved the counting skills of the Grade-1 Glory pupils by using of the concrete

objects, in that way the score is increased. To answer the question 1 and 2, the

descriptive statistic was applied where the average score in the pre-test and post-
test, collected and record during actual activity demonstration. In the

experimental group the post-test is greater than the re-test. It means that the

post-test had increased.

Moreover, the intervention helps the students enhance their counting skill and

logical thinking. And question number 2, illustrated that there is no difference in

their score where the students did nit use the concrete object in counting in the

actual activity demonstration. In the graph data illustration, there is a closer

average score in pre-test and post-test means score. In general, the post-test

result of the controlled and experimental groups was computed to answer the

research question number 3 using the independent sample t-test. Thus, the

statistical decision was to reject the null hypothesis. Since the null hypothesis had

rejected, there was full measure evidence to support the claim that there is a

significant difference between the means of the post-test of controlled and

experimental group. Therefore, the use of concrete object in counting enhance the

counting skills and logical thinking of Grade-1 Glory.

VII. ACTION PLAN

Goal : To improve Mathematics performance in counting through the use of

Concrete Objects for Grade 1 Section Glory pupils.

Program Objectives: Pupils will gain greater understanding of the order of of

numbers and the numeral that represents each one. They will count with

understanding and recognized “how many” are in sets of objects.

Action Research Work Plan and Timeline

Implementation Responsibilities Resources(Funding/ Time line

Steps(What will be done) (who will do) Time/People/Materials)

1. Submit result.(Action
Research) to the
Researcher MOOE APRIL2023
principal.

2. Present the outcome

and the intervention to
Researcher MOOE APRIL 2023
other grade one
Mathematics Teacher

3. Use the findings in

addressing the
improving of counting
performance of grade 1 Researcher MOOE APRIL 2023

through the used

concrete objects.

VIII. REFERENCES
Aktaş- Arnas. Y. (2013). Okul öncesi dönemde matematik eğitimi (2nd ed.). Vize
Yayıncılık

Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı (MEB). (2013). Okul öncesi eğitim programı.

https://tegm.meb.gov.tr/dosya/okuloncesi/ooproram.pdf

Karakuş, H., & Akman, B. (2016). Okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının matematik
kavram kazanımlarının incelenmesi. In Eğitim Bilimlerinde Yenilikler ve Nitelik
Arayışı, (pp. 476-488). Pegem Akademi Yayıncılık.

Kandır, A., & Orçan Kaçan, M., (2010). Okul Öncesi Dönemde Matematik
Eğitimi. Morpa Kültür Yayınları.

Olkun, S., & Ucar, Z. T. (2007). İlkogretimde etkinlik temelli matematik

ogretimi [Activity-based mathematics teaching in primary education]. Maya
Van Gelder, T. (2005). Teaching critical thinking. College Teaching, 45, 1-6.

Van Gelder, T. (2001). How to improve critical thinking using educational

technology. Meeting at the crossroads: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference
of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education.
Retrieved from http://www4.uwm.edu/Org/mmp/ACM201213- files/ACM-
March15-BloomRevisedMath.pd