A Study to Determine the Extent to Which Basic Mathematical Concepts Presented in \u3cem\u3eSeeing Through Arithmetic\u3c/em\u3e, are Understood by Elementary School Teachers in Schools Directed by the Presentation Sisters

Purposes The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which basic mathematical concepts presented in the series, Seeing Through Arithmetic, Grades I through VI, were understood by the teachers in the elementary schools that are under the direction of the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen, South Dakota. It was hoped that the findings of the study would show the strengths and the weaknesses in the understanding of the basic concepts and thus furnish information that could be used to improve the training of teachers in these schools. It was further hoped that the list of basic concepts would be of help in the planning of future workshops or in- service instructions for the teachers. Participants The participants of this study were the teachers, both the Sisters and the Lay- teachers in the schools that are directed by the Presentation Sisters of Aberdeen, South Dakota . This included teachers in elementary schools in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana . There were 105 participants in the study. Of this group 56 had had over ten years of teaching experience, 28 had had from five to ten years of teaching experience, and 21 had had less than five years of teaching experience. In the group of participants there were 16 who had had no training in modern mathematics, 57 who had had in-service training, and 32 who had had college courses in modern mathematics. Procedures A list of basic mathematical concepts was compiled by examining the texts, Seeing Through Arithmetic, Grades I through VI, published by the Scott, Foresman and Company in 1963. A multiple choice test identifying these concepts was constructed to be an instrument to test the understanding of the concepts. This test was submitted to the beads of the Mathematical Departments of Presentation Junior College and Northern State College, both of Aberdeen. Following the evaluation of the tests, they were modified. They were sent to all the elementary schools under the direction of the Presentation Sisters. The superiors of these schools administered these tests. They were checked and scored by the investigator. Findings The results of the tests showed the following : The rank of correct responses was inversely proportional to the number of years of teaching experience of the participants. All the participants who bad bad no training in modern mathematics were of the group who had had over ten years of teaching experience. The group that had had less than five years of teaching experience ranked highest in the understanding of the basic concepts. The group that had had college courses in modern mathematics ranked above the other participants. The group of participants that had had in- service training in modern mathematics ranked 1.09 below the group that had bad college courses in their understanding of the basic concepts. The content division of material that ranked highest was that of Geometry. The division of content that ranked lowest was Number Theory. The percentage of understanding of the items in the test over basic concepts was 69.41 for the group of participants taken as one unit