A Comparative Study on the Counting Strategies of Students in Year 1 and 2 in Malaysia

Children's understanding of counting is important because of the crucial role it plays in the construction of mathematical knowledge. Early mastery of counting suggests that children have a firm foundation for later developments in arithmetical understanding. This paper reports on a study to examine counting strategies by Year 1 and Year 2 students in Penang. We study 12 different schools selected in Penang based on different types of schools in Malaysia. Six students were selected from each school giving a final sample of 72 students. The concepts investigated are sense of quantity, counting leading to multiplicative thinking and place value as these are the fundamentals for the development of counting ability. The strategies employed by students for were then compared. Furthermore, students utilized differing counting strategies which range from commutative strategies to multiplicative strategies. Our findings show that students employed a range of strategies even though mental strategies are not thought to Year 1 and 2 students. The findings raise some important issues in allowing researchers to understand the counting strategies of students in Years 1 and 2. Furthermore, it provides important implications in developing the curriculum and pedagogical agenda for the schooling system.