Att lära matematik med estetiska lärprocesser

The purpose of the study was to investigate how mathematical learning could be promoted through aesthetically inspired work, and whether the results are different for children who have strong motor skills compared to children who have weak motor skills. The purpose was also to investigate which activities and games were best suited for developing the children’s skills in specific areas of mathematics. The study focused on two groups of six-year-olds in which one group took part in an aesthetic teaching programme (EL), while the other group worked with numerical games (NL).

Main research questions:

1. In what ways are the mathematics results produced by EL and NL different?
2. What are the relationships that exist between the frequency of mathematical exercises and the children’s mathematics results?
3. What are the relationships that exist between children’s motor skills and their mathematics results?
4. Which activities are best suited for developing different mathematical skills that are tested in school?

The results indicated that aesthetic learning processes seemed to facilitate and improve the learning of basic numerical and numeracy skills, compared to numerical learning. In addition, it was concluded that all mathematical skills were developed on several occasions, and that there was a correlation between the activities that occurred frequently and the outcomes of the mathematics test. The results also indicated that pupils without motor difficulties and those with major motor difficulties developed better if they were allowed to work with aesthetic learning processes compared to those who worked numerically. Finally, an overview of the chosen exercises and activities is presented, as well as a summary of the experiences from the six intervention processes.

The study consisted of three parts: a motor skills test, a mathematics test and a pilot study involving intervention. The researchers chose a quasi-experimental design in which they used one intervention to compare the two groups (EL and NL). The study employed two data collection methods: observation of the children’s motor skills, and mathematics tests before and after the intervention. The intervention for the EL group (experimental group) was 1x6 specially adapted teaching lessons, while the NL group (control group) followed regular pre-school teaching.

Bohm, A. E., Jeppsson, C. & Samuelsson, J. (2018). «Att lära matematik med estetiska lärprocesser». Skrifter från Forum för ämnesdidaktik Linköpings universitet, (9):1-115.