Design of manipulative activities for the learning of measurements

Abstract

The learning of measurement in mathematics faces global challenges, especially in low-resource regions where the lack of manipulative materials limits the practical understanding of concepts. This issue is exacerbated by insufficient teacher training and limited access to resources, as observed in educational contexts in Latin America. The objective of this research was to design and implement manipulative activities for learning measurements, evaluating their impact on students' understanding and motivation. A quantitative approach was employed, with an experimental and descriptive design. The population included 1,287 students aged 4 to 14, with 384 selected through probabilistic sampling. A structured survey with Likert-scale questions was used as a data collection technique to measure the use and impact of manipulative materials. Students who interacted with materials such as rulers and balances improved their understanding of measurement concepts. However, barriers were identified, such as the lack of diversity and availability of resources and insufficient teacher training, which limit their effectiveness. Manipulative activities promote meaningful and motivating learning, but their implementation requires overcoming structural and teacher training limitations to ensure their educational impact.