Effects of a fraction intervention for students with special educational needs in mathematics

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a fraction concept understanding intervention with six fifth-grade students with special educational needs in mathematics. Explicit instruction and CRA were cornerstones in the intervention program, with a specific focus of fraction as measurement. A single case study with a multiple baseline across student design was used. The results revealed a functional relation between intervention and fraction concept knowledge in four cases. However, all six students maintained their scores on the fraction magnitude understanding measure at a 6-week follow-up. Additionally, all participating students improved their scores on a generalization measure of fraction concept knowledge, assessed both before and after the intervention. The findings reveal that a series of nine lessons fraction intervention supports fraction learning for students with diverse characteristics, but with similar mathematical struggles and special educational needs in mathematics.