Teaching Mathematics to Elementary Children in Saudi Arabia With the use of Individualized Instruction   Term Paper ID:27750 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Research proposal for teaching math skills in Saudi Arabia to children at the same grade level, but at variable degrees of proficiency, using individualized instruction. Includes: problem background & statement; terms definition; significance; & outline.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Research proposal for teaching math skills in Saudi Arabia to children at the same grade level, but at variable degrees of proficiency, using individualized instruction. Includes: problem background & statement; terms definition; significance; & outline. Paper Introduction: Teaching Mathematics to Elementary Children in Saudi Arabia With the Use of Individualized Instruction Background of the Problem While Christian Europe was slumbering through the darkness of the Middle Ages, the Middle East experienced its own renaissance of the arts and sciences, including mathematics. It is, after all, the Arabs who invented the concept of zero, along with Arabic numerals, and developed a sophisticated system of mathematics before the scientific revolution entered the European continent. This scientific outpouring did not last, however, and much of the Middle Eastern civilization that developed during the early Islamic period declined into quiescence (Nyrop, 1977). Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. London: Croom Helm. For example, the National ResearchCouncil's Mathematical Sciences Education Board developed a new teachingmethod that broke with traditional techniques in order to address studentlack of achievement in U.S. The relationship of socioeconomic factors and achievement in Arithmetic. (1981). Another innovative method is fromJapan, termed the Kumon method. A majorfocus of the development effort was on the establishment of schools at alllevels of the population to educate boys and girls for their contributionto nation-building. Theintent here, too, though, is to limit rote learning and emphasize teachingchildren how to think through problems and solve them mathematically(Adler, 199 ; Reingold, 199 ). The problem for teachers, then, is how toensure that all student learn the necessary skills when there is such awide variation in achievement levels among students of the same age, mostoften within the same classroom. One possible way proposed to do this is to individualize instructionfor students, ensuring that their special needs are addressed. Classroom groups will be compared to see if they are roughlycomparable on such measures as I.Q., standardized achievement tests,socioeconomic and demographic data, and daily attendance patterns.However, there is to be no attempt to create rigidly equivalentexperimental and comparison groups. In particular, he found positive relationshipsbetween the parent's occupation and children's achievement, and theintellectual sophistication of the newspapers read in the home and thechild's achievement. Since most research available is from the West,studies that contribute to understanding the effectiveness of teachingstrategies within Saudi Arabia itself are helpful additions to the body ofknowledge.Statement of the Hypothesis The hypotheses to be tested can be stated as follows: 1. This studyseeks to determine if individualized instruction contributes to significantachievement gains in arithmetic for elementary school students in SaudiArabia. However, that wealth was essentially created, and managed,under the aegis of Western corporations. Research Design This study is basically designed as a non-randomized control-group pre-test post-test design. (199 ). 2. Teaching Mathematics to Elementary Children in Saudi Arabia With the Use of Individualized InstructionBackground of the Problem While Christian Europe was slumbering through the darkness of theMiddle Ages, the Middle East experienced its own renaissance of the artsand sciences, including mathematics. This was because the vast majority of both boys andgirls were both illiterate and not in school (Al-Farsy, 1978). Development in Saudi Arabia. Essentially, ability grouping involves the creation of a groupthat is relatively homogenous based on certain factors that are judged toimpact learning, such as IQ or achievement test scores. The first chapter provides an introduction to the study, includingbackground to the problem, statement of the problem, and an overview ofresearch design. (Ed.) Area handbook for Saudi Arabia. & Waterbury. BIBLIOGRAPHYAdler, J. The intent is to learn howusing an innovative approach to teaching mathematics might positivelyimpact Saudi Arabian elementary school children who are within a relativelynew modern system without a long history of the use of particularapproaches.Outline of the Study The study will follow a standard format. This is to be measured by the same instrument.Research Methodology There are several different steps involved in pursuing this researchproject. Instead, the focus is on ensuring thatthere is rough comparability in the above measures for both theexperimental and control classrooms. (1993). After the pre-test, students in the experimental group will have adiagnostic profile established for them which will include such things asadding whole numbers, subtracting whole numbers, multiplication of wholenumbers, division of whole numbers, and work with fractions. During the early 197 s, the first of the five-year development plans to modernize Saudi Arabia was implemented. The additional tutoring will be providedfor one school term. (199 ). Much of the responsibility for both governing and developing SaudiArabia came to rest with men from the Western countries. Mathematics is somewhat out of place in this grouping. (196 ). During the first five-year development plan in Saudi Arabia, schoolenrollment increased 11 percent, while 257 new schools were opened for boysand 136 for girls. The focus is on children from2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade classrooms who are learning basic arithmeticprinciples and computations. Second, the intent is not to provide a definitive look at theadvantages of individualized instruction in relation to more traditionalapproaches, but to determine if there are achievement gains using such anapproach and if they seem to be larger than those obtained usingtraditional approaches. This is the problem which is the focus of this study.How, then, do teachers ensure that students of varying ability andachievement levels who are in the same classroom make significant gains inachievement and learn the necessary basic arithmetic skills and concepts?Significance of the Study This study is significant because it contributes to the ongoing searchfor understanding how best to teach students basic skills. Students in the control classrooms will continue to receivetraditional training in arithmetic, using common methods and abilitygrouping, among other techniques. Nonetheless, it is clear that within classrooms and grade levels,there is considerable difference in achievement in arithmetic. Technology Review, 96, 17-19.Jarvis, O.T. Mathematics made easy: A Japanese teaching method adds up in the U.S. In addition, the study is directly significant since itpromises to offer an addition to the research on teaching Saudi Arabianstudents in Saudi Arabia. Of that totalpopulation, a sample of total children will be chosen for the experimentalgroup. While a study of Saudi Arabian students may not be directlyapplicable to this situation, it may contribute hints of techniques thatare effective. Data Analysis At the end of the study period, data will be collated and analyzedusing appropriate statistical methods. It is this thatrepresents the treatment component for the experimental group and is thefocus of the measurement of achievement gains at the end of the study. Most commonly, students are taught under some sort ofintraclass or interclass ability-grouping structure, in which students aregrouped together with those of comparable ability, or achievement levels.There are more innovative methods. Thus, both focus more on conceptualizing andproblem-solving than on the usual rote memorization. Essentially, individualized instruction is exactly what it soundslike. The educational system was, and continues, tobe a major focus of this effort.Statement of the Problem The fundamental problem for schools is to determine how best tofulfill their mission of educating a diversity of students so that theymeet certain standards of achievement in learning basic skills. The Kingdom. The Arithmetic Teacher, May, 196 .Lacey, R. The focus of the Kingdom was noton the development of either its mineral or human resources (Lacey, 1981). In addition, Saudi Arabian elementary school children, bothgirls and boys, who receive instruction in mathematics using anindividualized approach will show greater achievement gains in testperformance than those receiving instruction solely using traditionalapproaches. However, this study is specific to the United Statesand focused on white children from the middle-class, so it is not clear howapplicable it would be to other settings. Finally, this study is not expected to be directly applicable to alltypes of elementary schools cross-culturally. It is an instructional method that focuses on gathering sufficientinformation about each child to understand his or her special needs andabilities, and then tailoring an educational plan to that child. Generally,individualized instruction without computer aids requires more staff andother resources.Delimitation of the Study There are several limitations that must be acknowledged in looking atthe results of this study. Even by 197 , female literacy rates were only at 2percent (Richards & Waterbury, 199 ). Theextent to which cultural differences, language differences, schoolenvironment differences, teacher training, and other factors influence theresults is not part of the scope of this study. An analysis of individual differences in arithmetic. Saudi Arabian elementary school children, both girls and boys,who receive instruction in mathematics using an individualized approachwill evince achievement gains in test performance as measured by a versionthe Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, Form R, Level I, ArithmeticComputation, Concepts, Applications and Total Mathematics adapted for Saudiuse. In 196 , forexample, primary school enrollment was only 22 percent for males and 2percent for females. If students do not learn how to read and writeand perform basic math, it is assumed that they will be unable to performtheir basic functions as parents, as workers, and as citizens. This scientific outpouring did not last,however, and much of the Middle Eastern civilization that developed duringthe early Islamic period declined into quiescence (Nyrop, 1977). schools. The second chapter comprises a review of the literature, with emphaseson teaching mathematics to students, ability group teaching, andindividualized instruction. Creating problems: It's time to minimize rote learning and concentrate on teaching children how to think. In the UnitedStates, there is currently considerable discussion about the failures ofthe educational system and what is really necessary for improving studentachievement. This also focuses more on real-lifesituations, although it is slightly different than the MSEB method. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Ministry of Planning.Fischetti, M. However, the majority of children still were involved inability grouping instruction, rather than individualized instruction,although computerization contributes to the growth in individualization. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.Reingold, E.M. Riyadh: Central Planning Organization.Fifth Development Plan. Interestingly enough, however, the home environment can influenceachievement in arithmetic, as it can many other types of attainment. (197 ). For each grade level, children from one classroom will be chosen toserve as an experimental group receiving additional individualizedinstruction using a diagnostic, prescriptive, instructional approach.Other children will be taught using traditional methods, which focus ongroup work and rote memorization. This was determined by use of theCalifornia Achievement Test Battery, Form W. A major problem for teachers is the fact that students havevarying ability and achievement levels, most frequently within the sameclassroom, yet they need to assist all students to meet the same basicstandards. Theseindividualized instruction plans include provision for working with boththe strengths and special needs of each student. Thus, Saudi Arabia has rapidly accomplished the basic education of itssociety by focusing much of its oil wealth on improving the socioeconomicenvironment in the country. The new nation-states of the region, including Saudi Arabia, havedeveloped educational systems during the past several decades which haveattempted to make use of the best of the Western world's methods, whileretaining an Islamic identification. NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.Nyrop, R. Again,computers assist in this process, although it is also possible to providean individualized instruction component through tutoring. (1964). This method focuses on teachingstudents how to problem-solve through using mathematical concepts in reallife situations (Fischetti, 1993). London: Stacey International.Development Plan. It has been validated as an appropriate instrument for this kindof task. The third chapter is the methodology chapter, providing a look at boththe research design and the main instrument being utilized. Even with new, innovative methods that stress problem-solving, children may clearly be at different achievement levels within thesame classroom. As a consequence, when the state of Saudi Arabia began to take chargeof its mineral wealth, and its national destiny, during the early 195 s,much of the population could be characterized as suffering from bothilliteracy and innumeracy. The emphasis is on determining ifthere are statistically significant achievement gains for the children inthe experimental group and if these gains different significantly from theachievement gains, if any, registered by children in the control group.Although obtaining results which indicate statistically significant gainsin achievement does not warrant the conclusion that these are caused byindividualized instruction, they would suggest that individualizedinstruction was a fruitful technique for teacher's to use in working withstudents of various ability and achievement levels.Definition of Terms Ability Grouping Instruction Until the 197 s, when a new focus on individualized education began,ability grouping was the most common method utilized to address differencesin ability. Each subject in the experimental group will then receive an average of45 minutes of individualized instruction each day of the study period.This matches the amount of group instruction that each student in thecontrol classrooms receives in arithmetic each day. Testing will be conducted at both the beginning and end of the schoolterm, using the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, Form R, Level I,Arithmetic Computation, Concepts, Applications, and Total Mathematics.This instrument has been in use as a measure for basic skills for severaldecades. (199 ). This continued to be a focus of the development plansfor the next four cycles, with the result that by the end of the fifthdevelopment plan, it is anticipated that illiteracy among the young will bealmost eliminated and enrollment of those eligible for schooling, boys andgirls, will be at almost 1 percent (Development Plan, 197 ; FifthDevelopment Plan, 199 ). The fourth chapter reports the data in some detail, using charts andother illustrations, as needed. (199 ). Since it is not possible to control all factorsthat go into making up both the control and experimental groups, this seemsthe most appropriate choice. The Arithmetic Teacher, November, 1964.Keough, J.J. While childrenoften begin to learn reading in their home environment, arithmetic is notsomething that most parents feel comfortable teaching. The fifth chapter is an analysis of the data, relating that datadirectly to the two hypotheses set forth earlier in this proposal. It is, after all, the Arabs whoinvented the concept of zero, along with Arabic numerals, and developed asophisticated system of mathematics before the scientific revolutionentered the European continent. There are a number of current methods available to deal with such asituation. The Individualized Instructional Approach Perhaps the area in which individualized instruction is most prevalentis in that of working with children with handicapping conditions.Legislation during the 197 s required that these children haveindividualized education plans available to them in order to address theirspecial needs. Saudi Arabia: A case study in development. Thus, more thanreading, education in mathematics depends largely upon the school systemand the individual classroom teachers. Newsweek, 116, 16-2 .Al-Farsy, F. These are considered the cornerstone upon which theeducated society depends. It is, first of all, a study conducted for a very brief period of timewith a small population of elementary school children in Saudi Arabia. Althoughsuffering from benign neglect early in its existence, it became anincreased focus of attention with the discovery and development of itsmineral wealth. He learned that 69 percent ofstudents achieved above grade level, 11 percent at grade level, and 2 percent below grade level. In traditional formulations, those basic skills are reading, writing,and arithmetic. Neither specifically addresses the problem of differences in abilitylevels, however. The new(er) math. Forexample, in an earlier study of 713 sixth grade pupils that examinedachievement in arithmetic, Jarvis (1964) found that there was a range of6.9 years in achievement in arithmetic reasoning and 6.5 years inachievement in arithmetic fundamentals. Population and Sample The intent is to work with children from the middle elementary gradesin one Saudi elementary school located in. Thisdiagnostic profile will be the basis of developing the individualizedinstruction plan for each student in the experimental group. This homogenousgroup is then the focus of lesson plans directed specifically to itsperceived deficits, or skills. Astudy by Keough (196 ) of 8th grade students indicated that there was apositive relationship between certain cultural aspects of the home andachievement in arithmetic. Finally, the sixth chapter of the study summarizes the entire studyand ends with conclusions and recommendations for further research.Summary Although the Islamic world has a history of contributing importantconcepts and techniques to the development of the field of mathematics,this is more of a past, than present, characteristic of the Middle Easternregion. At the time of the study, there were total children enrolled in the2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade classrooms in this school. Time, 135, 83-85.Richards, J. At the end of the study period, students from both the experimentalgroup and the control group will again be tested using the same instrumentdescribed above. Still, like all school systems, the Saudi system needs to teach itsstudents basic skills, including arithmetical concepts, reasoning, andcalculations. (1978). Students will not be prevented fromobtaining extra help in learning arithmetic, including individual tutoringfrom parents, but this will not be the focus of their classroom situation. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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