The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities on young children's mathematical ability and preference about traditional culture.
To attain this purpose, this study sets up the...
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities on young children's mathematical ability and preference about traditional culture.
To attain this purpose, this study sets up the following study questions:
1. How do 'the traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities' have an effect on young children's mathematical ability?
2. How do 'the traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities' have an effect on young children's preference about traditional culture?
The research subjects consisted of an experiment group with 24 4-year old young children in Class A of Y Kindergarten and a comparison group with 25 4-year old young children in Class B of H Kindergarten located in Seoul. The study was conducted by this order : pre-test, experimental treatment, post-test.
The test tools used a mathematical ability test for young children, ‘A mathematical ability picture test for Young Children’ of Hae-ik, Hwang and Hye-jin, Choi. Also, for preference level about traditional culture, this study used Baek Hee-Sook’s(2006) ‘cognition and preference about traditional culture’ test tool that Jeon Kyung-Hwa(2001) modified and supplemented contents of ‘cognition and preference about traditional culture’ test tool with terms that covered cognition and preference about traditional culture.
Experiment executions were carried out for 6 weeks from September 11 to December 12 in 2014. Traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities were conducted on young children in the experiment group based on the teaching and learning process of ‘listening to the storytelling-to explore mathematical factors and to cognize problems in story – to explore - to make connection(traditional play).’ Also, mathematical activities and traditional play activities were conducted on the comparison group as a general unit class activity instead of storytelling.
The collected data in this study were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 Statistical Program, and compared and analyzed mathematical ability and difference in preference level about traditional culture before and after the test between the experiment group and comparison group using independent sample t-test.
The summary of major findings of this study is as follows.
First, traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities were effective in improving mathematical ability of young children. Average grade of the experiment group young children improved than the comparison group young children in all four subfactors of mathematical ability as algebra, number and operations, space and figure, and measurement and showed statistically significant difference. This signifies improved result of mathematical ability of young children as their mathematical thinking ability improved through traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities by focusing on abstract mathematics concept through a medium of so-called story.
Secondly, traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities were effective in improving the preference about traditional culture of young children. Average score of the experiment group young children improved than the comparison group young children in subfactors of the preference about traditional culture as awareness and preference about traditional culture and showed statistically significant difference. This signifies that cognitive aspect of traditional culture improved as well as preference for traditional culture by experiencing the traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activity as an interesting traditional game and naturally stimulated curiosity towards the traditional culture.
Therefore, this study implies that traditional play-related storytelling mathematical activities are worth to be used in the early childhood education field because it is considered to make positive effect on mathematical ability and preference about traditional culture of young children.