ABSTRACT
Developing numeracy skills at an early year will give children an important foundation for their learning and development. It helps them prepare for daily life, including general problem-solving and handling money. Being numerate, helps them know and describe the world around them and make meaning of these encounters. This study assessed the numeracy skills among the kinder learners using the Kinder Report Card, evaluated the level of the challenges in improving the numeracy skills of kinder learners along learners’ resources such as manipulative, TV, etc. and teacher preparation, recommend measures to address the above challenges; and prepared developmentally appropriate materials to improve the numeracy skills of kinder learners. This study was pursued using the descriptive survey design through the quantitative-qualitative technique. On quantitative technique, a survey questionnaire administered to 15 school heads and 15 kinder teachers while analysis of the kinder report card of the 317 kinder learners from quarter 1 to quarter 3 formed part of the qualitative. The study revealed that the numeracy skills of the kinder learners based on the kinder report card was from beginning to consistent. There is an “often” level of challenges in improving the numeracy skills of kinder learners along learners’ resources such as manipulative, TV, etc. and teacher preparation. The respondents proposed several measures to address the above challenges. The researcher prepared developmentally appropriate learning resources in numeracy in the form of worksheets/activity sheets.
Keywords: Numeracy Skills, Kinder Learners, Challenges, Coastal Schools
INTRODUCTION
Developing numeracy skills at an early age will surely give young learners a better foundation for their learning and development. It also helps them prepare for daily life, including solving simple problem and handling money. Being numerate means a lot for them because it helps them becomes familiar with the community and world around them. Every encounter in the world of numeracy is, therefore, an essential skill needed to succeed in their daily life.
It is said that numeracy is the ability to comprehend and apply basic math concepts in real-world scenarios. Basic math concepts generally considered are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Every day, people make a variety of decisions that may require numerical problem-solving, understanding, and processing (Hojnoski, 2019). Developing a mentally organized way of thinking is critical for the holistic development of children because these skills will enable logical reasoning. This will also lead to better comprehension of the world around them. Thus, to make this happen, there is a need to provide high-quality numeracy education at an early age (Mburu, 2018).
One of the Australian educational researchers believes that numeracy includes knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes that the learners need to apply in various situations. According to him, this includes the acknowledgment of the different aspects of mathematics in daily life and the tendency to use mathematical knowledge and skills in a meaningful way. It is a critical skill that builds bridges between mathematics and the real world. It is not the same as mathematics or alternative to mathematics because numeracy encompasses several factors that the learners need to know and use Math in different situations (Tout et al., 2020). Likewise, numeracy requires the learners to use their knowledge and skills to solve numerical issues in real-life situations (Sabidin et al., 2017).
Moreover, the kindergarten teachers play an important role in transforming young learners into responsible person. The skills instilled in children in their childhood years is vital to support them while reaching the primary school. Thus, to fulfil the children's needs under their care, they must do everything possible to develop the competencies needed. Hence, the needs to know and identify teaching-learning modalities particularly in the public schools. Citing for instance some previous literature on the challenges encountered by the kindergarten teachers such as insufficient to unavailable instructional materials for kindergarten classroom use (Owuso, 2021) or the limited supply of to no available literacy and numeracy learning materials (Mercader et al., 2021).
The Philippine government has just started with its K to 12 programs institutionalizing the kindergarten education. K to12 or simply referred to K+12 is equivalent to 13 years of basic education curriculum where kindergarten is a part of it. There are plantilla position/items for teachers which aims to provide equal opportunities for all learners to accessible, mandatory, and compulsory. The RA 10157 is a well-defined policy of the Philippine government pursued to effectively promote the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social skills stimulation and formation of necessary values to all five (5)-year old Filipino children. This will prepare them sufficiently for Grade One. This is a decision recognizing that kindergarten education is vital to the development of the Filipino child. It is also believed that the young mind’s absorptive capacity is at its sharpest during this period.
DepEd Order No. 47 of 2016 and DepEd Order No. 20 of 2018 are the succeeding issuances re-iterated its aims to make education responsive to the needs and diversity of learners at any circumstances. The schools and communities are using developmentally appropriate materials and culturally sensitive practices to enhance the teaching and learning. This is taking cognizant that immerse the learners into meaningful learning experiences by engaging them thru a play-based, and child-centered activities which is one of the principles of developmentally appropriate practices.
Response was made by coastal schools in Rapu-Rapu West observing the directive from the Department of Education (DepEd) national office. Consequently, this intensifies resource mobilization, generation as well as budget re-alignment/ adjustment of funds. With the decision is the felt need to assess the numeracy skills among the kinder learners of the coastal schools in Rapu-Rapu West District as bases in the preparation of developmentally appropriate materials to improve their numeracy skills. This is taking cognizant of the fact that almost all the issuances of DepEd (orders, circulars, memos, and the like) will encourage feedback from implementers.
In passing, Batan is one of a coastal barangay in Rapu-Rapu, Albay with a population of 1,145 according to the 2020 census of population. The barangay represented 3.17 percent of the total population of the municipality where it is located (PhilAtlas, 2023). It is almost isolated for weeks during rainy season and stormy weather. Most barangays are situated in the coastal areas without internet connectivity, banks, and the absence of electricity. These adversities require a descriptive analysis of actual teaching-learning experiences of the kindergarten teachers and pupils. Hence, strongly justifies the conduct of inquiry.
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