Abstract
The aim of the present study was to extend the previous intervention research in math by examining whether elementary school children with poor calculation fluency benefit from strategy training focusing on derived fact strategies and following an integrative framework, i.e., integrating factual, conceptual, and procedural arithmetic knowledge. It was also examined what kind of changes can be found in frequency of using different strategies. A quasi-experimental design was applied, and the study was carried out within the context of the school and its schedules and resources. Twenty schools in Finland volunteered to participate, and 1376 children were screened in for calculation fluency problems. Children from second to fourth grades were recruited for the math intervention study. Children with low performance (below the 20th percentile) were selected for individual assessment, and indications of using counting-based strategies were the inclusion criteria. Altogether, 69 children participated in calculation training for 12 weeks. Children participated in a group based strategy training twice a week for 45 min. In addition, they had two short weekly sessions for practicing basic addition skills. Along with pre- and post-intervention assessments, a 5-month follow-up assessment was conducted to exam the long-term effects of the intervention. The results showed that children with dysfluent calculation skills participating in the intervention improved significantly in their addition fluency during the intervention period, showing greater positive change than business-as-usual or reading intervention controls. They also maintained the reached fluency level during the 5-month follow-up but did not continue to develop in addition fluency after the end of the intensive training program. There was an increase in fact retrieval and derived fact/decomposition as the preferred strategies in math intervention children and a decrease of the use of counting-based strategies, which were the most common strategies for them before the intervention. No transfer effect was found for subtraction fluency.
Highlights
Arithmetic calculation is a basic academic skill that, along with reading and writing skills, forms the foundation for academic learning and practical skills of daily life
The present study extends the previous intervention research in math by examining whether children with poor calculation fluency benefit from derived fact strategy training based on an integrative framework administered at a school setting in small groups
The aim of the present study was to extend the previous intervention research in math by examining whether elementary school children with poor calculation fluency benefit from strategy training focusing on derived fact strategies and following an integrative framework
Summary
Arithmetic calculation is a basic academic skill that, along with reading and writing skills, forms the foundation for academic learning and practical skills of daily life. Vocabulary was assessed individually using the Vocabulary subtest from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV; Wechsler, 2010) with Finnish normative data. In this task words of increasing difficulty are presented orally, and children are required to define the words. Visuo-spatial skills were assessed using the Block Design subtest of the WISC-IV (Wechsler, 2010) In this test, the individual is presented with identical blocks with surfaces of red, surfaces of white, and surfaces that are half red and half white.
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