Mtsweni, Thobile2024-07-182024-07-182023-03Mtsweni, Thobile. (2023). Exploration of calculation strategies in doubling and halving with grade 3 learners. [Master's dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/38968https://hdl.handle.net/10539/38968A Research Report submitted to Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Education, in 2023.A crisis reported is that the majority of learners do not achieve development in number sense. Unit counting is the preferred method of counting, and consequently, fluency and conceptual understanding of numbers are lost. This study addresses the need for early intervention that focuses on the progression of learners towards the use of more efficient strategies. Specifically, the study aimed to explore doubling and halving strategies with Grade 3 learners through an intervention to develop learners’ calculation strategies using the adapted pre-test, intervention, and post-test from the Mental Starter Assessment Project (MSAP). The sample included 24 Grade 3 learners, which comprised a control group and an intervention group. The study employed Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, which focuses on how learners process new knowledge. Findings indicate that before the intervention, the learners in the control and intervention groups relied on counting strategies to solve doubling and halving problems, and the alternative strategies that were used were not clear. The intervention group was exposed to the various doubling and halving representations of the strategy. However, the findings show that the intervention group performed only slightly better in the strategic calculating and strategic thinking categories than the control group. These findings indicate that a shift in learning can happen, albeit slower than expected. Further research is needed across contexts and learners to indicate ways in which the intervention could be improved.en©2023 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.LearnrsCountingFluencyConceptual understandingEarly interventionGrade 3 learnersLearners’ calculation strategiesMental Starter Assessment Project (MSAP)UCTDSDG-4: Quality educationDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg