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Tools For Cognition: Student Free Access To Manipulative Materials In Controlversus Autonomy-Oriented Middle Grades Teachers’ Classrooms, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Gail M. Jones

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study investigated how middle grades students provided with free access to manipulative materials use these mathematical tools in classrooms where their teachers are identified as Control-Oriented and Autonomy-Oriented. Also of interest in this investigation was how Control-Oriented and Autonomy-Oriented teachers administered the free access treatment in their classrooms. A Pre -- Post -1 Post -2 design was used with two treatments. During Treatment 1, teachers used the manipulatives for mathematics instruction using the strategies learned in the summer professional development workshop. During Treatment 2, teachers provided students with free access to the manipulative materials. Results indicated teachers' control orientations--control …