Abstract
The present study was conducted to clarify the characteristics of three types of
teaching materials by comparing students’ comprehension after a lesson that was
designed to improve multiplication skills. The teaching materials used in this study
included games, puzzles, and drills. After the multiplication lesson, children were taught
using one of the teaching materials six times in the morning before class. Children's
comprehension was assessed twice. As per the results, the following suggestions regarding
the teaching materials were obtained:
a) Games work very well for high-skilled children but do not work well for low-skilled
children.
b) Drills are not very effective for high-skilled children and reduce the skill level of lowskilled
children.
c) Puzzles are effective for low-skilled children and not solely for the purpose of
memorization.
Based on this study, the characteristics of each teaching material were clarified, and
suggestions were able to be obtained regarding the choice of teaching material when
considering comprehension or teaching purpose.
