Examining the use of manipulative materials in teaching mathematics among junior high school teachers in the Wa municipality

Abstract

The Ministry of Education (MoE)/Ghana Education Service (GES) requires all mathematics teachers to use manipulative materials to teach mathematics in Junior High Schools (JHSs) because they have the potential to demystify learning of the subject. The study was designed to examine the use of manipulative materials in teaching mathematics among junior high school teachers in the Wa municipality of the Upper West Region of Ghana. Three instruments, namely,questionnaire, interview guides and observation guideswere used to collect data from94 teachers, 10 headteachers sampled from 54 JHSs, and the only mathematics coordinator in the municipality. Descriptive statistical analysis was applied to the quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire while content analysis was applied to the qualitative data from the interviews and observations. The study showed that teachers’use ofmanipulative materials in teaching mathematics was at variance with their practice in the classroom. Even though teachers knew the benefits of manipulative materials in learning, four factors challenged their use in the classroom: inadequate supply of manipulative materials, lack of continuous training on the use of manipulative materials, high cost materials, and lack of user guides on manipulative use. The study concluded that most JHS teachers in the municipality do not use manipulative materials in their classrooms because of the foregoing challenges. The study recommends that stakeholders in education in the Wamunicipality should boost up the supply of manipulative materials and organise periodic in-service training for JHS teachers on the use and development of manipulative materials for teaching mathematics. Supervision should also be strengthened to ensure that mathematics teachers do what they are supposed to do.