Affordance-Ability Relationships in Children's Interactions With Mathematics Virtual Manipulatives

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Teachers' and Students' Use of Technology in Mathematics Education

Abstract

This study explored relationships between app affordances and user abilities in second graders’ interactions with mathematics virtual manipulative (VM) iPad apps. Researchers qualitatively analyzed videos and ethograms of 45-minute clinical interviews of 33 second-grade children, each involving one child interacting with two sequences of mathematics VM iPad apps, focusing on place value and skip counting, respectively. Results provided evidence of Authors’ (2013) affordance categories of VMs. Furthermore, approach to and degree of affordance access varied by corresponding ability and could differ over time and by context. Outcomes of affordance accession also related to a child’s ability. These results imply that affordance-ability relationships are multifaceted, and that it is important to consider affordance-ability relationships in relation to mathematics education technology.

Authors

• Stephen I. Tucker, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Utah State University

• Arla Westenskow, Utah State University

• Kerry Jordan, Utah State University