Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities

Bibliography: pages 83-85.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gurney, Jean Rosemarie
Other Authors: Craig, Anita
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: School of Education 2016
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613145737986048
access_status_str Open Access
author Gurney, Jean Rosemarie
author2 Craig, Anita
author_browse Craig, Anita
Gurney, Jean Rosemarie
author_facet Craig, Anita
Gurney, Jean Rosemarie
author_sort Gurney, Jean Rosemarie
collection Thesis
description Bibliography: pages 83-85.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/16131
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:31:30.019Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2016
publishDateRange 2016
publishDateSort 2016
publisher School of Education
publisherStr School of Education
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/16131 An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities Gurney, Jean Rosemarie Craig, Anita Flanagan, Wendy Mathematics - Study and teaching (Primary) Bibliography: pages 83-85. This study examines children's developing mathematical abilities during the first three years of their schooling. More particularly, children in grades one, two and three of three different primary schools, in two different regions, had their performances on eleven mathematics tasks monitored over the course of 1996 to examine their developing mathematical abilities. These abilities were investigated in terms of task-particular performances and the assumed competencies (internal mental processes) underlying these performances. The data was generated through the use of a repeated measures design. The theory of the methods used to gather the data and to analyse the results is rooted in Vygotsky's (1978) experimental-developmental approach to the study of higher mental functions. This method of observation proved to be successful to the degree that it allowed for the study of changes in children's performances over a seven month period. The overall findings of the study revealed that the subjects in the sample population had the developmental readiness with which to improve their mathematical abilities. However, when this developmental readiness had to be taken further through formal instruction, their performances were inadequate. The investigation exposed the complexity and importance of language in the successful development of mathematical concepts. The data indicated that the subjects' learning was neither in advance of their development nor was it indicative of the constructivist approach to the task of teaching. Furthermore, there existed a conflict between spontaneous and formal knowledge in engaging with school mathematics tasks. 2016-01-02T04:51:04Z 2016-01-02T04:51:04Z 1997 Master Thesis Masters MEd http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16131 eng application/pdf School of Education Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Mathematics - Study and teaching (Primary)
Gurney, Jean Rosemarie
An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities
thesis_degree_str Master's
title An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities
title_full An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities
title_fullStr An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities
title_full_unstemmed An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities
title_short An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities
title_sort investigation into children s developing mathematical abilities
topic Mathematics - Study and teaching (Primary)
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16131
work_keys_str_mv AT gurneyjeanrosemarie aninvestigationintochildrensdevelopingmathematicalabilities
AT gurneyjeanrosemarie investigationintochildrensdevelopingmathematicalabilities