How have five years of the National Numeracy Strategy affected Year 5 pupils’ written division calculations?

This digest found in

Mathematics

Authors

Julia Anghileri, University of Cambridge, UK

Publisher

Oxford Review of Education Vol.32, No. 3, July 2006, pp.363-380

Introduction

How has the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) affected the teaching and learning of the process of division in English primary schools? This study explores the variety and relative success of Year 5 pupils’ strategies for tackling problems in division. It compares how these have changed with the findings of a parallel study that took place five years previously, when the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) was just about to be introduced to English schools.

The new study found a small overall improvement in pupils’ scores on the test of division. Patterns in the way in which pupils tackled the problems varied widely from school to school, leading the researchers to conclude that schools still differed in their approach to teaching division, despite working with the NNS for five years. For example, some schools, but not all, were teaching pupils to set out in a clearly structured, more formal written record, an approach to division based on repeated subtraction (called ‘chunking’ in the study). The relationship between pupils’ use of different strategies for division and pupils’ success was complex. Different approaches seemed to suit different individuals and the study found some differences beginning to emerge between boys and girls. The study found that pupils from schools that did not support students in constructing a structured written record for division were less likely to do well in the tests.

Keywords: England, Primary schools, Numeracy, National Numeracy Strategy, Gender, Teaching and learning.

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Research Home Themes \| Find digests \| About the digests resources glossary researchers contact TRIPS Introduction How did pupils differ in their division methods and success rates? What strategies did pupils use in more and less successful schools? Did boys and girls perform differently? What did the researcher conclude from the study? What were the aims of the study and how was it designed? What are the implications of the study? Where can I find out more? Definitions Send us your feedback Collated digests To find out more about collated digests click here Get Word Reader How have five years of the National Numeracy Strategy affected Year 5 pupils’ written division calculations? This digest found in Mathematics Send to a friend Word doc 60KB Printer friendly Collate for later Authors Julia Anghileri, University of Cambridge, UK Publisher Oxford Review of Education Vol.32, No. 3, July 2006, pp.363-380 Introduction How has the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) affected the teaching and learning of the process of division in English primary schools? This study explores the variety and relative success of Year 5 pupils’ strategies for tackling problems in division. It compares how these have changed with the findings of a parallel study that took place five years previously, when the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) was just about to be introduced to English schools. The new study found a small overall improvement in pupils’ scores on the test of division. Patterns in the way in which pupils tackled the problems varied widely from school to school, leading the researchers to conclude that schools still differed in their approach to teaching division, despite working with the NNS for five years. For example, some schools, but not all, were teaching pupils to set out in a clearly structured, more formal written record, an approach to division based on repeated subtraction (called ‘chunking’ in the study). The relationship between pupils’ use of different strategies for division and pupils’ success was complex. Different approaches seemed to suit different individuals and the study found some differences beginning to emerge between boys and girls. The study found that pupils from schools that did not support students in constructing a structured written record for division were less likely to do well in the tests. Keywords: England, Primary schools, Numeracy, National Numeracy Strategy, Gender, Teaching and learning.