The relationship between estimation and computation abilities of MARA Junior Science College students

Number sense is the ability to understand and use the meaning of numbers in communicating, processing and interpreting information. It is a generally well established fact that there exists a close relationship between estimation and number sense. Primary School Mathematics Curriculum aims at developing students' number sense and basic skills in computation. However, students are found to demonstrate little understanding of numerical situations in which they solve number problems and this has been the concern of mathematics educators. This lack of number sense is usually brought about by not understanding the mathematical exercises they learned in schools. Students can normally manipulate and follow symbolic rules better than at making sense of these numerical practices. Estimation allows the students to find an approximate an answer before carrying out the calculation, thus helps to determine whether an answer is reasonable or not. When students can feel the relationship between estimation and computation, then students would come to view mathematics as a distinct way of thinking, rather than as a collection of unconnected rules, hence, this emphasizes the importance of estimation in the learning process of mathematics. This study investigated the relationship between the estimation and computation skills of Form 1 students in MARA Junior Science Colleges in Malaysia. Samples from four MRSMs in the North Zone of Malaysia set through an Estimation and Computation Tests with 15 items which were similar. A Rasch analysis of the data identified learning areas that were difficult for students in both tests. A 6-item Probing interview session was conducted on six samples from each college after both tests. Findings from the interviews substantiated results obtained on three similar items of all three instruments, thus, enhancing mathematics educators on relationship between estimation and computation abilities of students.