The effect of experience arrangement by using Thai style playing on mathematical readiness of early childhood children

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to 1) study the mathematical readiness of children in early childhood who have experienced Thai-style play, and 2) compare the mathematical readiness before and after the learning experiences of children in early childhood who participated in Thai-style play. This study employs a one-group pretest-posttest design. The sample group consists of 20 kindergarten students from Tessa ban a School, under the Office of Education of Nakhon Sawan City Municipality, who are enrolled in the second semester of the 2024 academic year and were selected through cluster sampling. The research instruments included (1) a set of nine lesson plans for activities using Thai-style play, and (2) a 30-item test of mathematical readiness for children in early childhood. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, including percentages, means, and standard deviations, while inferential statistics, such as hypothesis testing, were performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test in cases where the sample groups were dependent. The study results revealed that 1) children in early childhood who experienced Thai-style play showed a very high level of mathematical readiness, and 2) the mathematical readiness of children in early childhood after the learning experiences was significantly higher than before, at the .05 level of statistical significance.