Abstract
The efficacy of a hand-held tablet technology intervention with learner-centred interactive software aimed at supporting the development of early maths skills was evaluated in four studies conducted in three UK primary schools. Immediate and sustained gains in mathematics were determined by comparing maths performance before, immediately after, and 5-months after the intervention. The impact of the child's first language, socio-economic status and basic cognitive skills (non-verbal intelligence, memory, processing speed and receptive vocabulary) on learning gains was also explored. In total, 133 pupils aged 4–7 years took part. Class teachers implemented the maths intervention for a specified period of time. Results showed significant immediate and sustained learning gains following the intervention, particularly for children identified as low-achievers. No significant effect of child's first language or socio-economic status was found but children with weaker memory skills demonstrated stronger learning gains. Overall, these findings indicate that tablet technology can provide a form of individualised effective support for early maths development, when software is age appropriate and grounded in a well-designed curriculum. Apps that incorporate repetitive and interactive features might help to reduce cognitive task demands, which could be particularly beneficial to low-achievers and could help to close the gap in early maths attainment from the start of primary school.
Highlights
Raising standards in mathematics education in the United Kingdom is an issue of national importance
Research shows children with low socio-economic status (SES), which considers the levels of income, employment and deprivation in an area, and children who have English as an additional language (EAL), have significantly lower mathematics ability levels compared to their peers (Anders et al, 2012; Denton & West, 2002)
Pearson's correlations showed no significant relationship between SES and gains in maths ability across the intervention period in either Study 2, with Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) pupils (r 1⁄4 À0.41, p 1⁄4 0.095) or in Study 3, with low-achieving Key Stage 1 pupils (r 1⁄4 0.04, p 1⁄4 0.861)
Summary
Raising standards in mathematics education in the United Kingdom is an issue of national importance. In the latest PISA assessment of 15-year olds' maths ability, the UK ranked 27th out of 34 participating countries (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development [OECD], 2016). A ‘stubborn-tail of underachievement’ is evident amongst disproportionate groups of underachieving pupils in the UK (Tymms & Merrell, 2007). Research shows children with low socio-economic status (SES), which considers the levels of income, employment and deprivation in an area, and children who have English as an additional language (EAL), have significantly lower mathematics ability levels compared to their peers (Anders et al, 2012; Denton & West, 2002). L.A. Outhwaite et al / Computers & Education 108 (2017) 43e58
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