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Vol. 2, No. 1, January 2018
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calculating device used primarily in Asian culture for performing arithmetic
processes (Gera and Kaur, 2014).
Motivated by the situation encountered in
teaching secondary school
mathematics to Grade Seven students, the researchers noticed that the students
have not yet mastered nor do they have automaticity in performing simple
addition and multiplication. This prompted them to observe the elementary-level
mathematics classes, especially in Grade Three, where multiplication
is taught and
applied in their lessons. Even some of the students were still using their fingers to
do simple addition; they were not yet
mature
in terms of basic mathematics skill.
As an abacus teacher, one of the researchers believes that the abacus is one
of the tools that can help hone students’ basic mathematics skills such as addition
and multiplication. The abacus not only increases the ability of children in
performing mathematics calculations, but also develops memory effectively (Gera
and Kaur, 2014). The researchers wanted to observe and see how far abacus
training can help students to be accurate and speedy
in performing addition and
multiplication.
In the education setting, Miller and Stigler (1991) espoused the idea that
people who have consistently used and mastered the abacus are capable of
extremely rapid and accurate mental calculations,
with children being able to
perform mental calculations by moving the beads in their
mental abacus
(i.e.
image of an abacus as imagined by the solver) as they would do on a real one. The
abacus is merely a tool; through intensive practice, children are able to imagine
and internalize the image of the abacus in their mind, and later on perform mental
calculations (“Abacus and its History”, 2007). The statement of problem is “Does
the abacus method significantly affect student
performance in addition and
multiplication?”
The present study is primarily anchored on several theories and ideas that
shape its theoretical framework.
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
(Woolfolk, 2004) espouses four stages of development wherein the preoperational
and concrete operational stages have a significant role in abacus training. The
former entails the ability of children to relate objects and symbols, whereas the
latter deals with children’s ability to think logically and reversely.
In terms of
Figure 1. The Soroban (Gilmore, 1997)
p.9)
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Vol. 2, No. 1, January 2018
49
abacus training, the preoperational stage familiarizes children with the beads of
the abacus and how they represent actual amounts and numbers, paving the way
for numerals to be coded in their memory as a certain number of beads.
Meanwhile, when children progress to the concrete operational stage,
development of the mental abacus leading towards mental arithmetic takes place
(imagination of abacus).
In addition, Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Theory (Woolfolk, 2004)
mentions cultural tools as a means of learning for children. Stigler (1984; 1986)
supports this with several mentions of abacus training being heavily supported in
East Asian communities; together with
the early exposure, consistent practice, and
high regard for mathematics learning, children are culturally encouraged to do
mathematical computations quickly and accurately at an early age. This idea was
supported by several East Asian wes (Wang, et al, 2015; Amaiwa, 2001; Hayashi,
2000). All the aforementioned bind the study, serving as its foundation in the
rationale that abacus training, under optimal conditions (i.e. early exposure, long-
term
consistent practice, etc.), can yield good computational skills: fast and
accurate answers.
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