Date Approved

7-3-2003

Embargo Period

5-3-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. in Teaching

Department

Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education

College

College of Education

Advisor

Robinson, Randall

Subject(s)

Science--Study and teaching (Primary); Third grade (Education)

Disciplines

Elementary Education and Teaching

Abstract

This study tested the use of physical manipulatives during science instruction – in conjunction with the traditional, textbook-oriented approach – and determines whether manipulatives create more significant learning experiences than text generates alone. The subject sample consisted of 20 third-grade students from a suburban New Jersey elementary school classroom. All subjects functioned at least on a third-grade level in all subjects with the exception of three students, who participated in the Talented and Gifted Program. Subjects from the experimental group and the control group completed a science content pretest of thirteen open-ended cognition questions. Both groups completed assigned activities, and subjects completed a science content posttest identical to the pretest. Tests of significance were used to analyze data, and the conclusions of the study indicate that the research findings were not significant enough to be applied to larger populations of students.

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