Early Math Interventions in Informal Learning Settings Coding Protocol

The purpose of document is to provide readers with the coding protocol that authors used to code experimental and quasi-experimental early mathematics intervention studies conducted in informal learning environments. The studies were conducted in homes and in museums with caregivers as intervention agents and included children between the ages of 3,0 and 8,11 years. The coding protocol includes more than 200 variables related to basic study information, participant sample size and demographics, methodological information, intervention information, mathematics content information, the control/comparison condition, outcome measures, and results and effect sizes. The coding protocol was developed for the purpose of conducting a meta-analysis; results of the meta-analysis is pending. The data set associated with this coding protocol will be available to the public at the conclusion of the grant (early 2024).

Reporting Quality in Math Meta-Analyses for Students with or at Risk of Disabilities

Researchers and practitioners alike often look to meta-analyses to identify effective practices to use with students with disabilities. The number of meta-analyses in special education has also expanded in recent years. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the quality of reporting in meta-analyses focused on mathematics interventions for students with or at risk of disabilities. We applied 53 quality indicators (QIs) across eight categories based on recommendations from Talbott et al. to 22 mathematics intervention meta-analyses published between 2000 and 2020. Overall, the meta-analyses met 61% of QIs and results indicated that meta-analyses most frequently met QIs related to providing a clear purpose (95%) and data analysis plan (77%), whereas meta-analyses typically met fewer QIs related to describing participants (39%) and explaining the abstract screening process (48%). We discuss the variation in quality indicator scores within and across the quality categories and provide recommendations for future researchers.

Applying an Individual Word-Problem Intervention to a Small-Group Setting: A Pilot Study’s Evidence of Improved Word-Problem Performance for Students Experiencing Mathematics Difficulty

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether positive results from a word-problem intervention implemented one-to-one contributed to similar outcomes when implemented in small groups of three to four students. Third-grade students experiencing mathematics difficulty ( n = 76) were randomly assigned to word-problem intervention ( n = 56) or business-as-usual comparison ( n = 20). Intervention occurred for 13 weeks, 3 times per week, 30 min per session. Multilevel models revealed the intervention condition significantly outperformed the BaU on a proximal word-problem outcome, corroborating results from our prior individual intervention. When comparing student performance in the individual versus small-group intervention, findings suggest students received added benefit from the individual intervention. The word-problem intervention successfully translated to a small-group setting, which holds important implications for educators working with students in supplemental, targeted, or Tier-2 mathematics intervention settings.

The Effects of a CRA-I Intervention on Students’ Number Sense and Understanding of Addition

As students develop understanding and fluency in single-digit operations such as addition, they develop sophisticated strategies and number sense (magnitude, number order, and composition). Deficits in number sense and reliance on inefficient approaches can lead to struggle in mathematics. Intervention research in this area reported effects on students’ automaticity. Research reported observational data regarding strategy-use, but not growth in number sense and understanding of operations. This study investigated the effects of an intervention using the concrete-representational-abstract-integrated (CRA-I) sequence. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of CRA-I on students’ number knowledge (magnitude, place value, and flexibility in strategy-use) and understanding of addition (commutative property and relation to subtraction). The researchers used a multiple probe across participants design. In addition, the researchers collected descriptive data on students’ automaticity. There was a functional relation between CRA-I and students’ number sense and understanding of addition, and students’ automaticity increased.

The Power of Interviewing Students

A teacher uses formative assessment interviews to uncover evidence of students’ understandings and to plan targeted instruction in a mathematics intervention class. We present an example of a student interview, a discussion of the benefits and challenges of conducting interviews, and actionable suggestions for implementing them.

Reconceptualizing Symbolic Magnitude Estimation Training Using Non-declarative Learning Techniques

It is well-documented that mathematics achievement is an important predictor of many positive life outcomes like college graduation, career opportunities, salary, and even citizenship. As such, it is important for researchers and educators to help students succeed in mathematics. Although there are undoubtedly many factors that contribute to students' success in mathematics, much of the research and intervention development has focused on variations in instructional techniques. Indeed, even a cursory glance at many educational journals and granting agencies reveals that there is a large amount of time, energy, and resources being spent on determining the best way to convey information through direct, declarative instruction. The proposed project is motivated by recent calls to expand the focus of research in mathematics education beyond direct, declarative instruction. The overarching goal of the presented experiment is to evaluate the efficacy of a novel mathematics intervention designed using principles taken from the literature on non-declarative learning. The intervention combines errorless learning and structured cue fading to help second grade students improve their understanding of symbolic magnitude. Results indicate that students who learned about symbolic magnitude using the novel intervention did better than students who were provided with extensive declarative support. These findings offer preliminary evidence in favor of using learning combination of errorless learning and cue fading techniques in the mathematics classroom.

Special Education Math Interventions

The purpose of document is to provide readers with the coding protocol that authors used to code 22 mathematics intervention meta-analyses focused on participants with or at-risk of disabilities. The author drafted this coding protocol based on the meta-analysis quality indicators recommended by Talbott et al. (2018, pp. 248–249); specifically, the author considered the variables presented in Table 1 of Talbott et al. and supplemented the information so that the variables and definitions were specific to the purpose of this systematic review. We coded each meta-analysis for 53 variables across eight categories, including: Quality of Clear Research Questions, Quality of Eligibility Criteria, Quality of Search Procedures, Quality of Screening Criteria, Quality of Coding Procedures, Quality of Research Participants and Contexts, Quality of Data Analysis Plan, and Quality of Reporting Results. The mean interrater reliability across all codes using this protocol was 87.8% (range across categories = 74% –100%).