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Fraction interventions for struggling elementary math learners: A review of the literature
Author(s) -
Roesslein Rachel I.,
Codding Robin S.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/pits.22196
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , mathematics education , psychology , inclusion (mineral) , variety (cybernetics) , fraction (chemistry) , intervention (counseling) , elementary mathematics , learning disability , study skills , pedagogy , developmental psychology , mathematics , social psychology , statistics , chemistry , organic chemistry , psychiatry
Understanding fractions has been a pervasively difficult skill for struggling math learners, yet it is essential for success in secondary level mathematics skills. The present systematic review examined the evidence base of fraction interventions for elementary level students identified as struggling math learners. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria and were reviewed for (a) instructional focus (b) instructional components, and (c) effectiveness of the intervention on fraction performance. The majority of studies had a primary instructional focus on conceptual knowledge of fraction learning. Results of the study also indicated that all interventions included multiple evidence‐based instructional components (e.g., concrete and visual representations, range and sequence of examples, etc.). These multicomponent interventions improved performance on a variety of proximal fraction outcome measures. Intervention effects were mixed for generalized outcome measures and minimal for distal outcome measures. Limitations, implications for practice, and future research directions are discussed.