Interviews were conducted via conversations about manipulative use and experience. Notes were taken to record statements participants made regarding their experiences with manipulatives. Questions asked during the interviews include the following:
Do you feel like you were prepared in college to use manipulatives with students?
How often do you use manipulatives in your math instruction?
What keeps you from using manipulatives more frequently?
These questions were chosen to learn more about undergraduate programs and their inclusion of manipulatives in teacher preparation courses and the frequency of manipulative use in classrooms and teacher perceptions regarding limitations of manipulative use.