The Use of Songs and Storytelling in Teaching Preschool Children Mathematics: A Thing of the Past in Nigeria Preschool Education

Abstract

Children do have difficulty in learning mathematics because they find it difficult to
remember and make use of mathematics facts and rules when in upper primary classes
and beyond. Songs and storytelling are child-centered methods that can enhance
children's acquisition, retention and recall of facts and rules in mathematics. One then
wonders if the preschool teachers are still using songs and stories to teach basic concepts
in Mathematics. The study, therefore, investigated teachers’ use of songs and storytelling
in teaching preschool children Mathematics. The study adopted the Mixed methods
research design. The triangulations of QUAN + qual type. A descriptive survey design
and phenomenological approach were adopted. A simple sampling technique was used
to select participant for the study. The quantitative data were collected using a
questionnaire while the qualitative data were collected through interview and observation
schedule. Quantitative data analysis was done using frequency count, simple percentage,
mean, and standard deviation while the qualitative data were analysed using the thematic
approach. The finding revealed that the weighted average is 1.94 which showed that the
extent to which there are songs and stories for mathematics concepts in preschool
education is very low. Teachers hardly use old songs and stories to teach mathematics.

Keywords: Mathematics, Songs, Stories, Teaching, Preschool Education.