Remediation for Students with Mathematics Difficulties: An Intervention Study in Middle Schools by Moser, Freesemann, Prediger, Grob, Matull & Hußmann
Synopsis
Numerous studies have found that middle school students frequently struggle to master the fundamentals of math. According to empirical data, the issues these children are having can be linked to deficiencies in fundamental mathematics understanding that first arose in primary school. However, there exists little empirical data on effective intervention strategies to address this problem, and several researchers have emphasized the pressing need for greater study in this area. In this paper, the authors present the findings of an empirical study that examined whether a program that emphasizes conceptual understanding of fundamental arithmetical knowledge can improve the mathematical competence of low achievers at the start of middle school in Germany in grade five (regular classes) or grade seven (special education classes). The high school intervention program tested whether such learning deficits can be effectively reduced and whether the type of instruction has an impact on student's development. The sample comprised 123 students in 34 classes, split among one control group (CG) and two intervention groups: a) SGI, small group instruction, and b) IPC, independent work partially integrated into regular classrooms. The teaching of fundamental ideas like place value, counting (in groups)and fundamental operations to students took place over the course of 14 weeks. (Source: Webversion of Moser Opitz, E., Freesemann, O., Prediger, S., Grob, U., Matull, I., & Hußmann, S. (2017). Remediation for Students with Mathematics Difficulties: An Intervention Study in Middle School. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(6), 724-736.)
