Browsing by Subject "dyskalkulia"

Currently in Finland there are very limited number of assessment tools in use to identify mathematical learning difficulties in children aged 9 to 16. This study examines the validity of the FUNA-DB measure for assessing mathematical learning difficulties in terms of concurrent validity. The objective of this study is to determine how FUNA-DB correlates with a previously developed RMAT measure, and how, compared to the RMAT measure, FUNA-DB identifies those children and adolescents who potentially should be suspected to have a mathematical learning difficulty. This research is part of a larger FUNA research project in Finland. The study was performed by having 318 children tested with both FUNA-DB and RMAT measurements. The analysis of the data was performed using quantitative research methods. The correlation of FUNA-DB and RMAT was measured by task sections using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. In addition, configural frequency analysis was used to determine whether both FUNA-DB and RMAT recognize the same weak students. In addition, descriptive statistics were examined. The results of this study showed that FUNA-DB and RMAT correlated with each other for all task sections (p <0.001). In addition, statistically significant correlation was identified between task sections where the tasks did not correspond to each other in terms of content. FUNA-DB and RMAT both identified the same low-performing students (p<0.01). The results of this study confirm that FUNA-DB appears to be a valid and effective assessment tool in identifying mathematical learning difficulties. Moreover, the study showed that the language best spoken by the student was not relevant to the results of the FUNA-DB measurement, while in the RMAT test, those who spoke Finnish outperformed (p<0.05) the students who did not speak Finnish as their mother tongue. Therefore, FUNA-DB does not seem to be tied to a student’s language skills and it specifically measures math proficiency, as it should. However, the as-sessment of the validity and reliability of the FUNA-DB test in this study remains rather one-sided, yet there are ongoing studies which examine the reliability and validity of FUNA-DB in other means.

The aim of this study was to define how well the personnel in the day care centers know the development of the mathematical skills in early childhood and how they can support it. What is the personnel’s own opinion about the education and knowledge they have about the early mathematical skills and how they identify the children who need more help to improve their mathematical skills and what kind of support do these children receive. According to previous studies about 4-7 % of the children have serious mathematical learning difficulties. It is possible to recognize these difficulties and support children already in the early childhood. Early interventions can help children at risk for mathematical difficulties to get closer to the level of mathematical skills that other children have before the school age. Mixed methods were used in this study and both qualitative and quantitative approaches were combined. The data were collected by sending 160 questionnaires on paper by post to 20 kindergartens in Kymenlaakso area in Finland in the spring 2017. Questionnaires included quantitatively analyzed five-step questions and multiple-choice questions and qualitatively analyzed open questions. In total 60 answers were received and that was 38% of all questionnaires. The quantitative questions were analyzed by SPSS-program and mostly by using cross-tabulation and by calculating means and medians. Qualitative questions were analyzed with content analysis. According to the results of this study the personnel in the day care centers felt, that they had got some or quite little education and knowledge how to improve and support children’s mathematical skills and learning difficulties. Personnel felt, that most of the education they had had, concerned how to improve children’s mathematical skills with the operational methods like plays and games and the least they had got information about the mathematical learning difficulties. The kindergartners experienced, that they need quite a lot more education about this subject and they were very interested in further education. Most of the assessment that the personnel made were qualitative and they described, that they observe the children all the time when they play and do other things with children. In the day care centers there were also several quantitative test batteries to help assessment. Daycare personnel were very well aware about the factors that could, according to previous research, indicate that a child has a risk for mathematical learning difficulties. If the personnel were concerned about the child’s mathematical development, they were talking about the concern in multi-professional, co-operational meetings and with parents and then personnel did a plan how to support child. The most common way to give support was to teach children in a small group and to have the special education teacher in the group. The methods the personnel used to improve the children’s mathematical skills, was to play and have games and to teach children in the everyday situations and with self-made teaching materials. Children played some computer games also. Only few research-based intervention-programs were used.

Aiemmat tutkimukset osoittavat, että matematiikan oppimisessa varhaisten matemaattisten taitojen osaaminen on perusta myöhemmille matemaattisille taidoille. Kandidaatintutkielmani aiheena on matemaattisten taitojen kehittyminen ja matemaattisissa taidoissa ilmenevät pulmat, matemaattiset oppimisvaikeudet. Lisäksi tutkielmassani käsitellään matematiikan oppimisvaikeuksien arviointivälineitä ja tuen antamista oppimisvaikeuksiin. Tutkielmani on kirjallisuuskatsaus ja keskittyy koulukontekstiin. Varhaisin matemaattinen taito lapsella on lukumääräisyyden taju eli kyky huomata eroja lukumäärissä. Lukumääräisyyden taju luo pohjaa myöhemmille matemaattisille taidoille. Lukumääräisyyden taju, lukujonotaidot, matemaattisten suhteiden ymmärtäminen ja aritmeettiset taidot ovat osataitoja, joita tarvitaan matematiikan oppimisessa. Matemaattiset oppimisvaikeudet ovat usein kapea-alaisia, ne näkyvät vain matemaattisten aineiden oppimisessa. Dyskalkuliassa matematiikan oppimisvaikeudet ovat laajempia ja tulevat esille jo peruslaskutaidoissa. Matematiikan oppimisvaikeuksien tunnistamiseen on hyviä testejä ja seuloja, joiden taustalla on tutkimustietoa. Opetussuunnitelmaan pohjautuvia osaamisen arviointivälineitä ovat Mavalkat, MAKEKO ja KYMPPI-kartoitus. Muut arviointivälineet mittaavat yleistä matematiikan osaamista, näihin kuuluvat RMAT, Lukukäsitetesti, Banuca ja Matte. Matematiikan oppimisvaikeuksien tukemiseen oppilas voi saada yleistä, tehostettua tai erityistä tukea riippuen tuen tarpeesta. Eksplisiittinen opetus on tutkimuksissa todettu tehokkaaksi keinoksi opettaa uusia matematiikan taitoja tukea tarvitseville oppilaille. Eksplisiittisessä opetuksessa opettaja mallintaa ja havainnollistaa opetusta. Opetus etenee askel askeleelta. Itsenäisen työskentelyn aikana oppilaita pyydetään kertomaan, miten he ratkaisivat tehtävän. Tietokoneharjoitteluun on tehokkaita harjoitusohjelmia, kuten Numerorata, Vektor, Ekapeli-Matikka ja Neure. Lisäksi opettajalle on ThinkMath-materiaali, joka on suunniteltu matematiikan oppimisvaikeuksien tukemiseen.