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Impact of Functional Numeracy Education on Adults’ Ability to Calculate Change during Purchases

Abstract

Functional numeracy education refers to learning activities that develop adults’ ability to apply basic mathematical knowledge to everyday situations. The ability to calculate change during purchases is an important practical skill because adults regularly buy goods and services and need to determine whether the amount returned after payment is correct. Difficulty performing such calculations may lead to financial losses or dependence on others during routine transactions. Therefore, this study examines the impact of functional numeracy education on adults’ ability to calculate change during purchases. Functional numeracy education can expose adults to practical mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, money values, comparison of amounts, and basic mental calculation. Through demonstrations, role-playing activities, simulated shopping exercises, and practical monetary examples, learners can develop skills for determining the difference between an amount paid and the actual cost of an item. These activities can make numeracy learning relevant to everyday purchasing experiences. Adults’ ability to calculate change during purchases refers to their capacity to determine the correct amount that should be returned when the money paid exceeds the stated price of goods or services. This requires adults to identify the purchase price, recognize the amount tendered, perform the appropriate subtraction, and interpret the resulting monetary value correctly. Functional numeracy education can strengthen this ability by providing repeated opportunities to practise monetary calculations in realistic purchasing situations. The study will adopt a survey research design. The population will consist of adults participating in selected adult education programmes, while an appropriate sample will be selected using a suitable sampling procedure. Data will be collected using a structured questionnaire and a practical monetary-calculation assessment designed to measure exposure to functional numeracy education and adults’ ability to calculate change during purchases. The data obtained will be analysed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The study is expected to establish that functional numeracy education has a positive impact on adults’ ability to calculate change during purchases. It is expected that adults exposed to relevant numeracy instruction will demonstrate improved accuracy in subtracting purchase prices from amounts paid, identifying correct change, and applying monetary calculation skills during simulated purchasing situations. The findings will have implications for teaching and learning in adult education programmes. Facilitators can incorporate simulated shopping activities, price tags, play money, receipts, and practical subtraction exercises into functional numeracy lessons. These activities can provide learners with opportunities to practise calculating change and connect mathematical concepts with common purchasing experiences. The study will be significant to adult learners, adult education facilitators, community learning centres, consumer education organizations, and policymakers. Adults may benefit from greater confidence and accuracy when handling routine monetary transactions, while facilitators can use the findings to strengthen practical numeracy instruction. Consumer education organizations may also benefit from approaches that promote greater independence in everyday financial transactions. The study will recommend that practical money-calculation activities be incorporated into relevant adult education programmes. Facilitators should use realistic prices, purchasing scenarios, receipts, and repeated calculation exercises to strengthen adults’ ability to calculate change accurately. The study concludes that effective functional numeracy education can improve adults’ practical monetary calculation skills and support greater independence during everyday purchases.

Keywords: Functional numeracy education, adult education, calculation of change, monetary calculation, practical numeracy, money skills, arithmetic skills, purchasing skills, subtraction skills, consumer numeracy, financial awareness, numerical accuracy, everyday mathematics, transaction skills, adult learners