EFFECT OF TEACHER-GUIDED DOUGH-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD ON PRESCHOOL CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCE IN ADDITION SKILLS IN EMBAKASI EAST SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Joseph Onyango

Abstract


The development of foundational addition skills during early childhood forms the basis for later mathematical learning. However, many preschool learners experience difficulties in grasping abstract numerical concepts when instruction relies primarily on traditional, teacher-centered approaches. This study investigated the effect of teacher-guided dough-based instructional method on preschool children’s acquisition of addition skills in Embakasi East Sub County. Guided by Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Theory and a post-positivist paradigm, the study employed a quantitative quasi-experimental design involving two intact PP2 classes assigned to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using pre-test and post-test assessments and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS. The findings revealed that learners exposed to teacher-guided dough-based instruction achieved significantly higher addition scores than those taught using conventional methods, t (36) = −2.168, p = .037, with a large effect size (Cohen’s d ≈ 0.72). The study concludes that teacher-guided dough-based play is an effective approach for enhancing preschool learners’ addition skills and recommends its integration into early mathematics instruction to strengthen numeracy outcomes.

Keywords


dough-based instruction, guided play, preschool mathematics, addition skills, early childhood education

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i6.6670

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