Differential Effects of Virtual and Concrete Manipulatives in a Fraction Intervention on Fourth and Fifth Grade Students’ Fraction Skills

Abstract

Fraction knowledge has been found to predict later mathematical performance, but many students have difficulty with fractions. Virtual manipulatives (VM) and concrete manipulatives (CM) are effective approaches to teaching fractions, but previous research has not been able to reach a consensus on which manipulatives are the most effective. This quasi-experimental study employed a pre- and posttest design to investigate the differential effects of VM and CM in a fraction intervention on students’ fraction skills. In addition to fraction skills, students’ arithmetic fluency was measured. Fidelity of intervention, social validity, and time-efficiency of the manipulatives were also investigated. Fourth- and fifth-grade participants (N= 115) from Southern Finland were assigned to VM and CM intervention groups. The intervention was implemented during six 45-minute lessons over 2 weeks. Results revealed that the CM group outperformed the VM group in fraction skills, which suggests that CM should be favored in fraction interventions.