Content, Sequence, and Emphasis of Arithmetical Concepts as Presented in Six Textbooks and an Analysis of Student Errors in Fifth Grade Arithmetic

• Main Author: Groutage, Lorenzo
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 1961
• Subjects: Other Physical Sciences and Mathematics
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/6918; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8021&context=etd

Arithmetic problems and the mastery of such problems play an important role in society as it exists today. The pressure from the public has been and is for better teaching of the basic skills. Public school teachers have often evaded this issue (2). For the past decade the emphasis has been "Why Johnny Can't Read," but it seems equally important, because of the relationship of reading and arithmetic, that the focus also center on the mathematical phase of educa­tion (8). A working knowledge of arithmetic is required in our present day society. Almost all means of earning a livelihood, and certainly the running of a budget for the home, require a working knowledge of arithmetic. The atomic age requires a knowledge of arithmetic. Science demands more and better educated people, with the emphasis on math­ematics. It is impossible to advance far in any scientific field with­ out the ability to understand and to use the principles of arithmetic. Industrial leaders insist that a way should be found to eradicate the errors found to be most common in our attempts to solve simple arithmetic problems. Teachers often make little use of the material which is available on the teaching of arithmetic and the diagnosis and eradication of errors. This study has been prepared in an effort to identify these errors and thus aid the teachers in eradicating such error