Abstract
The present longitudinal study examined growth in fraction knowledge between third and sixth grades (N = 536). Students were administered fraction concepts and procedures measures twice yearly through sixth grade. Analyses revealed empirically distinct growth classes on both measures. Of particular interest were students who started low and made little progress after three years of instruction in fractions, compared to those who started low but made good progress. Poorer language, attention, whole number line estimation, and calculation fluency in third grade significantly increased the odds of membership in a low-growth trajectory class for fraction concepts, while poorer attention and calculation fluency predicted membership in a low-growth trajectory class for fraction procedures. Students classified as receiving special education services in school, many of whom had diagnosed learning disabilities, were 2.5 times more likely to experience low growth in fraction concepts than their peers who were not receiving special education and 11.5 times more likely to experience low growth in fraction procedures. Students with persistent difficulties in fraction knowledge also were much less likely to meet state standards on a mathematics achievement test, portending problems in more advanced mathematics.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.