Framework for Evaluating Math Educational Materials for Constructing Early Number Concept

Abstract

Teaching and learning of mathematics, due to their abstract nature, are enhanced, especially at an early age, using educational materials. The wide variety of the available math’s educational materials requires teachers to evaluate them in order to incorporate them to their teaching practice. Contributing to this field, the purpose of this paper is dual. Firstly, it intends on defining the factors that could be included in a framework for evaluation of math educational material. Secondly, it aims on using this framework to evaluate specific educational materials that are used for the construction of early number concept. The results showed that the factors that could compose a framework of evaluating math educational materials could be related with 1. Evaluation of the material itself, independently of its context of use, 2. Evaluation of the material in the social context of its use, as well as 3. Evaluation of materials’ acceptability to the general educational community. From the evaluation of specific educational materials that are used for the construction of early number concept it seemed that no material itself could be considered, as suitable for teaching all the individual constructs of the number concept in early years’ mathematics, according to the developed framework.