Remediation for students with mathematics difficulties

What is it about?

Low achievement in mathematics at the secondary level can often be traced back to deficits in the understanding of certain basic arithmetic concepts taught in primary school. The present intervention study in middle schools evaluated whether such learning deficits can be reduced effectively and whether the type of instruction influences students’ progress. Over a period of 14 weeks, students were taught basic concepts such as place value and basic operations. In addition, they practiced fact retrieval and counting (in groups). Analyses demonstrate that the interventions can be used to reduce given deficits.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Mathematics difficulties (MD) in middle school can often be traced back to deficits in understanding certain basic arithmetic concepts. It is therefore important to develop intervention programs that are effective in helping students to overcome these gaps. The results of our study demonstrate that this can be achieved by focusing on conceptual understanding, structuring the intervention units in a transparent and ritualized way, selecting and sequencing the instructional examples carefully, choosing appropriate graphical representations and manipulatives, and verbalizing strategies and procedures. These results are extremely promising, especially considering the short duration of the intervention and the severe learning deficits of the students. This means that students with MD seem to need customized and adaptive assistance that helps them to transfer acquired concepts and knowledge to new tasks.