Effectiveness of a multi-component treatment for improving mathematics fluency.

Abstract

An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program that combined timings (via chess clocks), peer tutoring (i.e., peer-delivered immediate feedback), positive-practice overcorrection, and performance feedback on mathematics fluency (i.e., speed of accurate responding) in four elementary students with mathematics skills deficits. Results showed that both serving as a tutee (i.e., overt computation responding) and as a tutor (i.e., delivering feedback) resulted in increased rates of accurate responding for three of the students. Furthermore, all four students showed additional increases in fluency when performance feedback was added. Results are discussed in terms of combining intervention components designed to increase accuracy and fluency.

Selecting Intervention Strategies: Using Brief Experimental Analysis for Mathematics Problems

“…These strategies have been empirically supported as effective school-based interventions for improving academic performance. For example, providing performance feedback and selecting performance goals have successfully increased total answers produced (Van Houten, Morrison, Jarvis, & McDonald, 1974;Van Houten & McKillop, 1977), assignment completion (Kastelen, Nickel, & McLaughlin, 1984), and correct answers (Rhymer, Dittmer, Skinner, & Jackson, 2000;Van Houten, Hill, & Parsons, 1975).…”

Improving computer skills of socially disadvantaged adolescents: Same-age versus cross-age tutoring

“…In the tradition of research on tutorial learning, several studies report findings based on six to eight participants (e.g., Huang & Chao, 1999;Lieberman, Dunn, van der Mars, & McCubbin, 2000;Rhymer, Dittmer, Skinner, & Jackson, 2000). Moreover, this teaching method has often been compared to traditional group instruction.…”

Effects of peer versus computer-assisted drill on mathematics response rates

“…Maheady, Sacca, & Harper, 1988). In addition, CWPT and many variations of it have been shown to be effective in increasing performance of spelling (e.g., Mortweet et al, 1999;Telecsan, Slaton, & Stevens, 1999), mathematics (e.g., Fantuzzo et al,1992;Franca et al,1990;Rhymer et al, 2000), and reading (e.g., Mastropieri et al, 2001;Mathes, Howard, Allen, & Fuchs, 1998). Moreover, peer tutoring has also demonstrated improvements in behavior among students presenting with behavioral issues and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Dupaul, Ervin, Hook, & McGoey, 1998;Dupaul & Henningston, 1993;Franca et al, 1990).…”

“…Only a few documented research studies have utilized the BCBC design (e.g., Ihrig & Wolchik, 1988). However, numerous other studies dealing with academic interventions have compared the effects of two interventions in an ABAB format, referring to the first intervention as baseline rather than a separate intervention strategy (e.g., Dugan, Kamps, Leonard, Watkins, Rheinberger, & Stackhaus, 1995;Gardner, Heward, & Grossi, 1994;Neef, Iwata, & Page, 1980;Rhymer et al, 2000).…”

“…In addition, both methods of instructional delivery produce high rates of completed antecedent-behavior-consequence chains. Because of this feature, it is not surprising that the research on computer-assisted instruction (e.g., Cosden & Abernathy, 1990;Kulik & Kulik, 1991;Okolo, 1992) and peer tutoring (e.g., Fantuzzo, King, & Heller, 1992;Franca, Kerr, Reitz, & Lambert, 1990;Rhymer, Dittmer, Skinner, & Jackson, 2000) has suggested that both can increase student learning in mathematics. However, merely applying a single educational technology to all students may not always benefit all students (Haring & Eaton, 1978).…”