“IMPROVING SKILL AND INTEREST OF GRADE 7 STUDENTS

IN ALGEBRA THROUGH THE USE OF GAMES”

Proponent

John Rey E. Cantoria

BSEd Mathematics

Bicol University College of Education

Daraga, Albay

Abstract

This is study is conducted to improve the skill and interest of the students in learning
Mathematics, specifically in the field of Algebra. The competencies that were taken is on
evaluating algebraic expressions and special products. With the use of the games developed by
the researcher, the respondents were exposed to the games during the sessions. The
respondents of this study were the Grade 7-Titanium of Taysan Resettlement Integrated School.
The statistical instrument used to treat the data gathered was the mean for the pre-test and post-
test and for the evaluation of the respondents.

The results from the means, in the pre-test the respondents got an average of 32.58%
and in the post-test with an average of 51.94% which increased by 19.36% and in the overall
mean from evaluation of the respondents got an average of 4.19 with a description of “Agree”
revealed that the games helped in improving the skill and interest of the respondents in learning
the competencies taken.

Based from the results, using games as a teaching strategy in teaching Mathematics can
be helpful in improving learner’s skill and interest toward the subject. Mathematics teacher should
innovate mathematical games that could help the students improve their performance and lessen
their anxiety in the subject Mathematics.

Introduction

Mathematics is learned meaningfully when the students are able to apply the concepts
they have learned. They are able to interact with their environment and have the opportunity to
train their minds in a logical or analytical way.

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 This research focuses on the use of games such as Algebra Cards and Puzzle-nomial.
The games focuses on evaluating algebraic expressions and on special products. These
competencies were chosen by the researcher because during our field studies, I found out that
some of the students have difficulty in these areas.

The researcher believes that through the use of these games the ability of the students
could be improved because it modifies the traditional way of teaching to a more creative and
interactive way that could catch the interest of the students in learning Mathematics. It was said
also by Davies (1995) that, it increased learning in comparison to more formal activities, greater
learning can occur through the games due to the increased interaction between the children,
opportunities to test intuitive ideas and problem solving activities.

With the use of the games developed by the researcher, this study aims to:

1. Know the effects of using the games to the students in learning Mathematics.
2. Improve the performance of the students in Algebra in the competencies taken.

Related Literature

Oldfield (1991) says that mathematical games are activities which: (i.) involve a challenge,
usually against one or more opponents; (ii.) are governed by a set of rules and have a clear
underlying structure; (iii.) normally have a distinct finishing point; (iv.) have specific mathematical
objectives.

The advantages of using games in a mathematical program have been summarized in an

article by Davies (1995) who researched the literature available at the time.

 Motivation-children freely choose to participate and enjoy playing.

 Positive attitude- games provide opportunities for building self-concept and
developing positive attitude towards mathematics, through reducing the fear of
failure and error.
 Assessment- children’s thinking often becomes apparent through the actions and
decisions they make during a game, so the teacher has the opportunity to carry
out diagnosis and assessment of learning in a non-threatening situation.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to improve the skill of the students in Algebra with the use of the games,
Algebra Cards and Puzzle-nomial. Moreover, the findings of this research would be significant to
the:

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 Students. The findings of this study will help the students to improve their performance in
Mathematics particularly in Algebra.
Mathematics Teacher. The teacher can use the games used by the teacher that seems to
be effective in teaching Algebra.
Researcher Himself. This will help the researcher to improve his teaching strategies and
.in innovating new practices or methods in the field of Mathematics.
Future Researchers. This study may serve as their basis or reference in conducting their
researches that is in lined with this study.

Methodology

This study uses an experimental and descriptive-survey design. The experimental design
was used to know the effects of the games developed by the researcher to the performance of
the students and the descriptive-survey design was used to know of the level of interest of the
students in using games in the subject Mathematics.

The researcher conducted a 10-item test as pre-test and post-test, Likert Scale Evaluation
Checklist and the games that developed from the competencies taken was used. The data
gathered was treated using the mean as a statistical instrument.

The respondents were taken from the Grade 7-Titanium of Taysan Resettlement
Integrated School of 31 students.

Results and Discussion

Table I: Pre-Test and Post-Test Mean Percentage Score

Respondents Pre-Test Post-Test
1 4 6
2 1 5
3 2 7
4 3 4
5 5 8
6 3 4
7 7 7
8 2 4
9 2 5
10 4 4
11 4 4
12 7 7
13 3 4

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 14 6 5
15 3 4
16 3 4
17 3 6
18 4 5
19 1 5
20 2 4
21 2 5
22 4 4
23 5 7
24 3 6
25 2 5
26 2 6
27 6 7
28 2 4
29 4 4
30 1 7
31 1 4
TOTAL 101 161
Mean Percentage Score 32.58% 51.94%

On table shows that from the 31 respondents, in the pre-test they got an average
percentage of 32.58% and in the post-test they got an average mean of 51.94% which
increased by 19.36%.

TABLE II: Summary of the Ratings of the Students in the Evaluation Checklist
Item Mean Description
1. The games help me to solve math problems. 4.37 Agree
2. I was able to interact with my classmates. 4.22 Agree
3. I gain confidence in answering on the board. 3.96 Agree
4. It motivates me to learn the lesson. 4.56 Agree
5. The discussion is not boring. 4.19 Agree
6. I understand the lesson discussed. 4.07 Agree
7. The games caught my interest to learn math. 4.07 Agree
8. The games are effective to the lesson discussed. 4.11 Agree
Over-all Average 4.19 Agree
The table shows the average ratings of the students in the evaluation checklist
administered with an overall rating of 4.19 and with a description of “Agree”.

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Conclusion

Based from the result of the Pre-Test and Post-Test, the performance of the students
increased by 19.36% and from the results of their ratings in the Evaluation Checklist with an
average of 4.19 and a description “Agree”, this means that the performance of the Grade 7-
Titanium improved and the result of their ratings shown that the use of games is effective.

Recommendation

Based on the result of the study, the following is recommended:

1. Using games as a teaching strategy helps in improving the performance of the students
in learning Mathematics.
2. The teachers should innovate games that matched to student’s interest and ability to
lessen their anxiety in learning Mathematics.

References

http://usinggamestoteachmath|Bonnie_Britt

http://nrichmaths.org

Rossiter, Anthony. “Using Games in Mathematics Teaching”

Burns, Marilyn. “Using Games in Your Math Teaching”, Synergy Learning International
Incorporation.