Date of Award:

5-2012

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Human Development and Family Studies

Department name when degree awarded

Family, Consumer, and Human Development

Committee Chair(s)

Ann M. Berghout Austin

Committee

Ann M. Berghout Austin

Committee

Shelley L. Knudsen Lindauer

Committee

Troy E. Beckert

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine how children use math in their everyday activities, which includes caregiving environments outside of their home. Audio recordings were taken of children while they played. The researcher typed transcripts of the audio recordings in order to search for references to math. The different types of math that the children used were: (a) classification, (b) magnitude, (c) enumeration, (d) patterns and shapes, (e) spatial reasons, and (f) part/whole. An example of classification would be a child sorting blocks into groups based on shape. Magnitude is used when a child uses phrases to compare two or more items like "a lot‖ or "more higher." Enumeration is when a child uses actual number words like ―three." Pattern and shape concepts include a child building a tower out of blocks and proclaiming the tower to be in the shape of a square. This could also include a child stating a pattern of blocks being "red, black, red, black," and so forth. Examples of spatial relations would include references to "over, under, on, around," and so forth. Finally, the part/whole concept is when a child references something as being part or whole like a "whole pizza."

Results showed that children frequently used math in their playtime activities. Boys were more likely than girls to reference math. Also, children who were older than 40 months, or just over 3 years old, used math more often when they played. One result also suggested that when providers have specific training in how to care for children, for example a child development associate credential (CDA), children in their care referenced math more.

Overall, the results of the study indicate that math is often used by children when they play. It also shows that children use various types of math when playing. It would be helpful to further train caregivers so they could know how to continue to foster children‘s use of math in playing as well as in other areas.

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Comments

Publication made available electronically January 24, 2012.

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