Improving at-risk learners’ understanding of fractions.

Abstract

Metropolitan-Nashville Public Schools, Nashville, TennesseeThe purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of an intervention designed to improve at-risk 4th graders' understanding of fractions and to examine the processes by which effects occurred. The intervention focused more on the measurement interpretation of fractions; the control condition focused more on the part-whole interpretation of fractions and on procedures. Intervention was also designed to compensate for at-risk students' limitations in the domain-general abilities associated with fraction leaming. At-risk students (n = 259) were randomly assigned to intervention and control. Whole-number calculation skill, domaingeneral abilities (working memory, attentive behavior, processing speed, listening comprehension), and fraction proficiency were pretested. Intervention occurred for 12 weeks, 3 times per week, 30 min per session, and then fraction performance was reassessed. On each conceptual and procedural fraction outcome, effects favored intervention over control (effect sizes = 0.29 to 2.50), and the gap between at-risk and low-risk students narTowed for the intervention group but not the control group. Improvement in the accuracy of children's measurement interpretation of fractions mediated intervention effects. Also, intervention effects were moderated by domain-general abilities, but not whole-number calculation skill.

Spatial Proportional Reasoning Is Associated With Formal Knowledge About Fractions

“…The importance of spatial analogues for students' understanding of fractional magnitudes was shown in a recent intervention study with at-risk children (Fuchs et al, 2013). This training mainly involved representing, comparing, ordering, and placing fractions on a number line from 0 to 1.…”

A longitudinal study of neuropsychological functioning and academic achievement in children with and without signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

“…Executive function (EF) has provided a useful platform to examine the relationship between ADHD and academic difficulties (Barkley, 2011;Fuchs et al, 2013). Evidence for EFs as a core deficit in ADHD has been mixed (DeShazo Barry, Lyman, & Klinger, 2002).…”

Developing Deaf Students Fraction Skills Requires Understanding Magnitude and Whole Number Division

“…It cannot be emphasized enough that students need to master whole number skills including magnitude and basic operations before getting into any fraction discussion. Understanding the size of fractions is crucial prior to introducing the basic operations because fraction magnitude knowledge promotes fraction arithmetic skill (Fuchs et al, 2013, Bailey, Siegler, & Geary, 2014. In other words, each student needs to master fraction magnitude before learning fractions operations.…”