A case study on the development of mathematics ability of early

childhood
Ruswanto1*, Al Jupri2
1
Departemen Pendidikan Matematika, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudi No. 229,
Bandung 40154, Indonesia
2
Departemen Pendidikan Matematika, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudi No. 229,
Bandung 40154, Indonesia
E-mail:[email protected]

Abstrak. The development of conceptual and procedural abilities in early childhood is strongly
influenced by learning experiences both in the classroom and at home. The role of parents is to
introduce numbers and their meanings. Furthermore, its application in problem solving in schools
should be introduced under the guidance of teachers. This study aims to investigate the development
of children in recognizing mathematics, from number symbols, addition and subtraction operations.
This study used a case study method with the subject consisting of one child in one of kindergarten in
Indramayu. The results showed that the development of the child mathematical abilities has been
running according to the stages of child development. But in the operation process, especially the
subtraction, it is still difficult.
Keywords: children's mathematics learning development, children's cognitive abilities.

INTRODUCTION daily lives. Mathematics studied and developed

in order to equip students with the ability to
Early childhood education is a coaching think logically, analytical, systematic, critical,
effort aimed at children from birth to the age of and creative. It thus is the reason for the
six years which is carried out through the importance of mathematics to be learned [ 2 ] .
provision of educational stimuli to assist growth Early childhood curriculums and frameworks
and development, physically and spiritually so world-wide are beginning to recognise the
that children have readiness to enter further potential for children prior to formal schooling
education [ 1 ] . It is clear that the purpose of early to think mathematically, solve complex
childhood education is focused on helping the problem, make connections between various
growth and development of thought processes concepts, abstract and generalise mathematics
and is combined with development to support ideas and represent these ideas [ 3 ] .
physical and spiritual health. In terms of child development, Piaget
Then we look at it from the point of suggested that all children journey through the
view of mathematics itself, whether it is studied sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete
with the aim of raining logical thinking and so operations, and formal operations stages of
on. Math proficiency is considered very development [ 4 ] . During the process of moving
beneficial for learners to follow learning at through one stage to the next, children’s
levels more or to overcome problems in their
cognitive ability change qualitatively [ 5 ] . Piaget and children's responses to the material being
also believed that cognitive development is a taught. The research was also conducted at the
continuous process and all children, even in child's home, to find out how the learning
different environmental context and culture process was at home, how parents supported the
diversity around the world, have the same development of children's mathematical
sequence of cognitive development [ 6 ]. From abilities, and how the child's learning experience
this presentation, Piaget then proposed theory was from what is seen in everyday life.
about children's cognitive development that This research used case study research,
involves important processes, namely schema, where the object studied in the Case Study
assimilation, accommodation, organization, and research only tells itself in depth / detail /
equilibration. In theory, stages of cognitive complete to obtain a complete picture of the
development. Piaget identified four stages in object (wholeness) in the sense that the data
cognitive development: Sensorimotor Stage collected in the study is studied as a whole,
(infancy), Pre-operational Stage (Toddler and integrated whole [ 8 ] .
Early Childhood), Concrete Operational Stage For the research instrument itself, the
(Elementary and Early Adolescence), Formal author used an interview technique with the
Operational Stage (Adolescence and adulthood) classroom teacher, with the aim of knowing how
[ 7] the development of the child's mathematical
From several explanations of the ability, how this child responds to class
theories and opinions above, the focus of assignments. The author also used interviews
research is on the cognitive development of with children's parents and tried to make
children at the pre-operational stage where at observations in the field, saw children in the
this stage children are aged 2 to 7 years. at this learning process in class and at home, observed
stage they are able to recognize numbers, count children doing assignments and made
and operate numbers with symbols and observations of children using currency, and
experience mathematics in the habits that recognize the amount and nominal currency and
children do every day. The purpose of this study concluded the symbols and mathematical
is to determine the development of symbols found in daily life.
understanding numbers, operating the number In addition to in-depth interviews, there
and less of the same object, and able to are five techniques for collecting case study
understand the currency of the nominal not the research data, namely documentation, direct
amount, and as an evaluation material for the observation, participant observation, and
application of mathematical concepts in early physical artifacts. Each to complement the other.
childhood both in class and at home. So this showed the strength of the case study
compared to other methods in qualitative
METHOD research.
This research used a descriptive method with a
qualitative approach within the framework of a RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
case study. The subject consisted of 1 grade B From the results of the review, it was found that
students (6/7-year-old) in one of Indramayu children's development begins with children
class B kindergarten right, Indonesia, with the memorizing numbers but not recognizing
reason that this research reached the final goal numbers, children are able to count from 1 to 10
of looking at the development of early childhood at the beginning of the development of
mathematics abilities. This research was recognizing numbers, but do not know the
conducted in two directions, namely seeing numbers mentioned by children. After learning,
children learning in class, how to support children are tried to recognize these numbers
learning in class, how teachers deliver material through the approach of their parents in the
learning process at home, after being able to number of images with numbers, as shown in
count and recognize numbers, in class children the following figure 1.
learn to relax how to write and learn to write
numbers for 6 meetings. Get to know numbers
while colouring and writing numbers with the
help of the teacher in class and assignments that
are assisted by parents in doing the class
assignments.
Then from the results of interviews with
this child's parents and also the author's
observations, it was found that this child could Figure 1. recognize numbers and count from the
not distinguish the value of the currency which same object
he understood was the amount not the value. From the picture above, it can be
When a child is given 10,000 snacks with 1 concluded that a child's reading ability must
piece of currency, then with 3 2,000 bills, this match the number of pictures. And it takes
child prefers the large amount instead of the pictures that are the same shape and in
nominal. accordance with the ability or daily experience
At the beginning of the study, the author of children, pictures or tools to introduce the
made observations in the field and finally number of numbers must be from something
decided to conduct.a case study on the that can be seen by the child in the child's habits,
development of mathematical abilities in early in accordance with the environment around the
childhood focusing on children aged 5-7 years child, with the aim of making it easier for the
who were at the pre-operational stage in Piaget's child to process reasoning in the end children's
theory. ability in mathematics continues to develop.
At first the child does not recognize From the beginning the child can count without
numbers at all but is only able to calculate from recognizing numbers, increasing to recognizing
the memorization process taught by parents in numbers and being able to write them down,
their spare time at home and finally the child is calculate and present in written form by
able to store it in his memory, but to recognize thickening numbers (see Figure 2).
the number itself the child has not been taught
by new parents from the TV remote and
individually. spontaneously asked his parents.
According to their parents, when a child will
watch TV then they want to change the TV
channel because the child is already able to
memorize numbers 1 to 10 so they are able to Figure 2. Matching according to the same
ask questions. number of pictures
After entering school which is carried
out 3 times a week and learning is not carried The stage of child development
out at school but at home the class teacher with continues to increase, from the learning
a limited time of only 60 minutes, the role of experience in the classroom and also, the role of
parents is very much needed to support the parents in helping teach to provide an
development of children's learning, especially in understanding of the fun of learning. Is able to
children's mathematical abilities, even in the match the number of pictures that have been
children's assignment books, there are many coloured by the child and then pair it with the
tasks. drawing tasks associated with recognizing ladder next to it according to the picture above.
numbers, recognizing numbers and matching the The ability from the beginning of how children
recognize, read, write and match figures, these one picture and combine it with the other
are all experiences felt by children in classroom picture, even though the number is more than 5
learning and also the learning process at home in because the child feels that it is helped by the
semester 1, the research is tried to be continued addition which is presented in the form of
in semester 2 to find out how the child's pictures of fruits, animals and objects that they
development is in adding up good numbers in usually see. on the surrounding environment.
the first semester image or direct (see Figure 3). But in the operation of subtraction the child has
difficulty, because from picture one and picture
two there are both pictures, and doing the
subtraction is still considered difficult by the
child. Parents as teachers at home have tried to
help but the child is still having difficulties,
although in the end the child is able to do the
assignments from school, but according to the
author, the development of children at the stage
Figure 3. Children's writing tasks of operation of reduction still needs guidance.

The next stage in semester 2, learning 1. Conclusions

mathematics in children is no longer just Based on the results of case study research
knowing, writing and matching. But already in conducted by means of in-depth interviews and
the realm of distinguishing about the value of a field observations, it can be concluded that the
number itself, the child will be able to determine development of children's mathematical abilities
which images are of the same value, not the has been running according to the stages of child
same, bigger and smaller, also able to development. However, the operation process,
distinguish images in order of high from the especially the reduction of children, is still
lowest to the highest by sorting using number. experiencing difficulties. The implication is that
as in the work that has been done (see Figure 4). it is necessary to review the teaching indicators
in the operation chapter, both addition and
subtraction, because learning in children is
actually only focused on how they know
mathematics as part of life with a pattern of
learning while playing.

References
Figure 4. sort and compare tasks 1. Undang-undang Republik Indonesia
Tentang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional
After getting to know everything that Nomor 20 Tahun 2003.
has been learned both through classroom 2. Wardono et al. 2015. Tehe Realistic
learning experiences and learning experiences at Scientific Humanist Learning With
home, children are able to do calculations with Character Education to Improve
the help of fingers, but the child's ability is Mathematics Literacy Based On PISA.
limited to calculations from 1 to 5. the next International Journal of Education and
stage in learning in class, children have entered Research. Vol 3 No 1 January 2015
the realm of operations both addition and 3. Marina, 2013. A mathematics Intervention:
subtraction. The case of 4-year-old Rylan and Hilda.
Procedia –Social and Behavioral sciences
In addition operations, children do not
106 (2013) 92 – 101.
experience difficulties because they only count
4. Moreno, R. (2010). Educational Future issues for developmental
Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & psychology and education. New York:
Sons, Inc Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
5. Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2012). 18. Sternberg, R.J. & Sternberg, K. (2011).
Life-Span Human development. Belmont, Cognitive Psychology, Sixth Edition.
USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
6. Hockenbury, D. H., & Hockenbury, S. E.
(2011). Discovering Psychology. New York:
Worth Publishers.
7. Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget’s
theory of cognitive development.
Educational psychology interactive.
Valdosta State university.
8. John W. Creswell. (1998). Qualitative
Inquiry And Research Design: Choosing
Among Five Traditions. London: SAGE
Publications.
9. Jupri, A., & Sispiyati, R. (2021). Symbol
sense characteristics for designing
mathematics tasks. Journal of Physics:
Conference Series, 1806, 1-5.
10. Braisby, N. & Gellatly, A. (2005).
Cognitive Psychology. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
11. Eysenck, M.W. & Keane, M.T. (2010).
Cognitive psychology : A student’s
handbook—6th ed. New York:
Psychology Press.
12. Fatimah Ibda. (2015). Perkembangan
Kognitif: Teori Jean Piaget. Dosen
Fakultas Tarbiyah Dan Keguruan UIN
Ar-Raniry.
13. Houde, O. (2019). 3-system theory of
the cognitive brain: A post-Piagetian
approach to cognitive development.
New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis
Group.
14. Igra, (2020). Buku Pendidikan
Raudhatul Athfal Semester 1.
15. Igra, (2020). Buku Pendidikan
Raudhatul Athfal Semester 2.
16. Morra, S., Gobbo, C., Marini, Z., &
Sheese, R. (2008). Cognitive
development: Neo-Piagetian
perspectives. New York: Lawrence
Elbraum Associates.
17. Smith, L., Dockrell, J., & Tomlinson, P.
(1997). Piaget, Vygotsky and beyond: