Rote Learning and Meaningful Learning in Mathematics : Perspectives of Primary School Teachers and Learning in Children

The study is to find significant relations between rote/meaningful learning perspectives on Mathematics of 51 primary school teachers and the learning happening in 145 children. The variables taken under consideration for this study were the type of schools (aided or unaided) and experience of teachers. The tools formulated for the study were questionnaires for teachers and activities for children of grade I, II and III that measured rote learning and meaningful learning in Mathematics. Through t tests and ANOVA, results were found that there was significant difference between meaningful learning perspectives of aided and unaided primary school teachers; meaningful learning of children at different grades in aided schools; rote learning of children at different grades in unaided schools; meaningful learning of children at different grades in unaided schools; teachers' rote/meaningful learning perspectives and children's rote/ meaningful learning in mathematics. There was no significant difference found in rote learning perspectives of aided and unaided primary school teachers; the perceptions of primary school teachers on rote learning and meaningful learning with respect to their years of experience and rote learning of children at different grades in aided schools. A pattern of learning derived that showed the change from rote to meaningful learning in children of primary schools.