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.

Language Skills of Children With and Without Mathematics Difficulty

Purpose Language is an important skill required for children to succeed in school. Higher language skills are associated with school readiness in young children and general mathematics performance. However, many students with mathematics difficulty (MD) may be more likely to present difficulties with language skills than their peers. The purpose of this report was to compare the language performance of children with and without MD. Method We compared child vocabulary, morphology, and syntax between first- and second-grade children ( N = 247) classified as with or without MD, controlling for child working memory. Results Children with MD ( n = 119) significantly underperformed compared with their peers ( n = 155) on all language measures. The largest difference between children with and without MD was in syntax. Conclusions Children with MD present poorer language skills than their peers, which aligns with previous research linking the importance of syntax with mathematics learning. More research is needed to better understand the complex links between language skills and mathematical development.

The Influence of Behavior on Performance Within a Word-Problem Intervention for Students With Mathematics Difficulty

Some elementary students may exhibit challenging externalizing or internalizing behaviors in addition to difficulty with mathematics. In this study, we explored the behavioral patterns of 441 third-grade students with and without mathematics difficulty (MD). Compared with students without MD, students with MD demonstrated higher rates of externalizing and internalizing behaviors. We then randomly assigned 162 third-grade students with MD to receive a 10-week word-problem intervention or to be in a business-as-usual comparison group. Within the word-problem intervention, students with MD who exhibited higher occurrences of externalizing behaviors performed significantly lower on a word-problem measure than students without as many occurrences of externalizing behaviors. Response to the word-problem intervention did not differ based on internalizing behavior patterns.

The Word-Problem Solving and Explanations of Students Experiencing Mathematics Difficulty: A Comparison Based on Dual-Language Status

In mathematics, the expectation to set up and solve word problems emerges as early as kindergarten; however, many students who experience mathematics difficulty (MD) and dual-language learners often present with specific challenges in this area. To investigate why these populations experience word-problem difficulty, we examined the word problem-solving and oral explanations of third-grade dual-language learners (DLLs; n = 40) and non-DLLs ( n = 40), all of whom were identified as experiencing MD. Students solved five additive word problems and provided oral explanations of their work, which were transcribed and coded for the number of words in each explanation, type of mathematics vocabulary terms used, inclusion of correct numbers in explanations, and descriptions of addition or subtraction. We identified no significant differences in word-problem scores between DLLs and non-DLLs with MD. For both DLLs and non-DLLs, students who answered problems correctly used more words in each explanation and used more mathematics vocabulary terms within their explanations. For incorrectly answered problems, the most common mistake for both DLLs and non-DLLs involved using the incorrect operation to solve the problem.

Combining Like Terms: A Qualitative Meta-synthesis of Algebra I Interventions in Mathematics and Special Education

Many students struggle with the transition from arithmetic to algebra. Despite meta-analytic work on algebra instruction and calls for meta-syntheses of mathematics education topics, little has been done to synthesize the corpus of qualitative mathematics education research in algebra. The purpose of this meta-synthesis is to summarize the techniques teachers use to elicit algebraic thinking from students with mathematics difficulty or disability in the mathematics and special education literature. Although both mathematics and special educators used student-centered and collaborative techniques to encourage students to share algebraic reasoning, students with mathematics difficulty and disability struggled to participate meaningfully, and directions for further critical work in algebra are specified.

A Synthesis of Elementary Mathematics Interventions: Comparisons of Students With Mathematics Difficulty With and Without Comorbid Reading Difficulty

In this synthesis, we reviewed 65 studies involving elementary students (i.e., grades 1–5) identified with mathematics difficulty (MD) in which authors implemented a mathematics intervention. Of these studies, we identified 33 group designs, 9 quasi-experimental designs, and 23 single-case designs. We aimed to synthesize performance differences between students with MD with and without reading difficulty (RD). We identified three categories of students for analysis: Students with MD+RD, MD-alone, or MD-nonspecified (i.e., no reading information provided). Overall, 80% of studies included students with MD-nonspecified, and the interventions for these students demonstrated strong effects. For the limited number of studies with students with MD+RD or MD-alone, intervention effects were strong for students with MD+RD and variable for students with MD-alone. In the three studies directly comparing the performance of students with MD+RD versus MD-alone, we noted differential patterns of performance. To tailor interventions to student need, more research must be conducted to understand whether students with MD with variable reading profiles respond differentially to mathematics intervention.