A pilot home-based early intervention study to improve the mathematical skills of young children

Authors

  • Ayşegül Şükran Öz Mustafa Kemal Unıversity

Keywords:

Early intervention, Mathematics, Single-subject, Educational technology, Parent-child collaboration

Abstract

Children who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and children with learning disabilities are found to be at risk for future failure in mathematics. Even though the mathematics scores increases over time the achievement gap remains between the various ethnic and socioeconomic groups. One way to prevent this failure is to identify the students who are at risk and provide them with effective early intervention. This study reports the results of a pilot early mathematics intervention study focusing on two Turkish families in the US. In this single-subject research, a multiple probe technique was used in order to examine the impact of the SRA DLM Math Pre-K CD-ROM in combination with parent scaffolding on young children’s number sense skills. Two parent-child dyads participated in this study. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with the parents before and after the intervention. The child participants received 3 Mathematical Curriculum Based Measure (CBM) every week to monitor their progress. Building Blocks Assessment was used to identify whether children were able to generalize the number sense skills developed during work sessions in different settings. This measure was administered both before and after the intervention.

This study demonstrated that children’s and parents’ use of a software program where they work collaboratively at home resulted in increased number sense skills. These results were interpreted in the context of socio-cultural theory. The parents displayed different strategies during the mathematics work sessions, reflecting their own feelings about mathematics and technology.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Ayşegül Şükran Öz, Mustafa Kemal Unıversity

Assist. Prof. Dr., Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Education, Department of Special Education

References

Anton, M. (1999). The discourse of a learner-centered classroom: Socio-cultural perspectives on teacher-learner interaction in the second-language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 83, 303-317.

Bender, W. N. (2001).Learning disabilities: Characteristics, identification and teaching strategies (4th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn& Bacon.

Berch, D. (2005). Making sense of number sense: Implications for children with mathematical disabilities.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(4), 333-339.

Bjorklund, D. F., Hubertz, M. J., &Reubens, A. C. (2004). Young children’s arithmetic strategies in social context: How parents contribute to children’s strategy development while playing games. International Journal of Behavior Development, 28(4), 347-357.

Blair, C., &Scott, K. G. (2002). Proportion of LD placements associated with low socioeconomic status: Evidence for a gradient? Journal of Special Education, 36(1), 14-22.

Bliss, J., &Askew, M. (1996). Effective teaching and learning: Scaffolding revisited.

Oxford Review of Education, 22(1), 37-52.

Bleeker, M. M. (2005). Is the gender gap in technology closing?: An examination of gender differences in adolescents’ computer activities, attitudes, and technology-oriented career plans.Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

Boden, C., &Brodeur, D. A. (1999).Visual processing of verbal and nonverbal stimuli in adolescents with reading disabilities.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 32(2), 58-72.

Bottle, G. (1998, September).A study of children’s mathematical experiences in the home. Paper presented at the Annual EECERA Conference, Spain.

Bowman, B. T. (1998, February).Math, science, and technology in early childhood education. Paper presented at the forum on Early Childhood Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Washington, DC..

Baroody, A. (2004). The developmental base for early childhood number and operations standards.In D.H. Clements & J. Sarama (Eds.), Engaging young children in mathematics (pp. 173-221). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Clarke, B., &Shinn, M. R. (2004).A preliminary investigation into the identification and development of early mathematics curriculum-based measurement.School Psychology Review, 33(2), 234-248.

Clements, D. H., &Sarama, J. (2007). Effects of a preschool mathematics curriculum: Summative research on the Building Blocks project. Journal for Research ing Mathematics Education, 38, 136-163.

Clements, D. H. (2004).Major themes and recommendations.In D.H. Clements & J. Sarama (Eds.), Engaging young children in mathematics (pp. 1-72). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Clements, D. H., &Nastasi, B. K. (1999). Meta-cognition, learning, and educational computer environments. Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, 5-38.

Coufal, K. L. (2002).Technology teaching or mediated learning, part 1: Are computers Skinnerian or Vygotskian? Topics in Language Disorders, 22(1), 1-28.

Cohen, R. S. (1990). Computerized learner supports in pre-logo programming environments. Journal of Research in Education, 22(1), 310-336.

De Guerrero, M. C. M., &Villamil, O. S. (2000).Activating the ZDP: Mutual scaffolding in L2 peer revision.The Modern Language Journal, 84, 51-68

DiCamilla, F. J., & Anton, M. (1997). Repetition in the collaborative discourse of L2 learners: a Vygotskian perspective. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 53(4), 609-633.

Elkind, D. (1998, February). Educating young children in math, science, and technology. Paper presented at the forum on Early Childhood Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Washington, DC.

Esposito, L. C. (2003). Academic achievement in the context of poverty: Examining the effects of family risks on children’s math and reading achievement over the elementary school years. Dissertation Abstracts International: A, 64 (04), 1172.

Fletcher, J.M., Lyon, G.R., Barnes, M., Stuebing, K.K., Francis, D.J., Olson, R.K., Shaywitz, S.E., &Shaywitz, B.A (2002). Classification of learning disabilities: An evidence-based evaluation. In R. Bradley, L. Danielson,& D. P. Hallahan (Eds.), Identification of learning disabilities research to practice(pp. 185-250). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Fuchs, D., &Young, C. L. (2006).On the irrelevance of intelligence in predicting responsiveness to reading instruction.Exceptional Children, 73(1), 8-30.

Fuchs, L. S. (2005). Prevention research in mathematics: Improving outcomes, building identification models, and understanding disability. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(4), 350-352.

Fuchs, L. S., Compton, D. L., Fuchs, D., Paulsen, K., Bryant, J. D., &Hamlett, C. L. (2005).The prevention, identification and cognitive determinants of math difficulty.Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(3), 493-513.

Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Hamlet, C. L., Powell, S. R., Capizzi, A. M., &Seethaler, P. M. (2006). The effects of computer-assisted instruction on number combination skills in at-risk first graders.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(5), 467-475.

Geary, D. C. (1994).Children’s mathematical development: Research and practical application. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Geary, D. C., Hoard, M. K., &Hamson, C. O. (1999). Numerical and arithmetic cognition: Patterns of functions and deficits in children at risk for a mathematical disability. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 74, 213.

Gersten, R., Jordan, N.C.,&Flojo, J. R. (2005). Early identification and interventions for students with mathematics difficulties.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(4), 293-304.

.Glenn Commission (2000).Before it’s too late!: A report to the nation from the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century. Retrieved September, 28, 2006, from http://www.edpubs.org/webstore/EdSearch/Details.asp?ItemID=EE%200449P&EdSearchPage=0

Goos, M., Galbraith, P., &Renshaw, P. (2002). Socially mediated meta-cognition: Creating collaborative zones of proximal development in small group problem solving. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 49, 193-223.

Griffin, S.A., Case, R., &Siegler, R.S. (1994).Rightstart: Providing the central conceptual prerequisites for first formal learning of arithmetic to students at risk for school failure. In K. McGilly (Ed.), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice (pp. 25-50).

Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Hasselbring, T. S., &Tulbert, B. (1991).Improving education through technology.Preventing School Failure, 35(3), 33-38.

Hung, D., &Nichani, M.R. (2002).Bringing communities of practice into schools: Implications for instructional technologies from Vygotskian perspectives.International Journal of Instructional Media, 29(2), 171-183.

Hutinger, P., Johanson, J., &Rippey, R. (2000).Benefits of a comprehensive technology system in an early childhood setting: Results of a three-year study: Final report. Retrieved September, 28, 2006, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED444275

Jordan, N. C., Kaplan, D., Olah, L. N., &Lacuniak M. N. (2006). Number sense growth in kindergarten: A longitudinal investigation of children at risk for mathematics difficulties. Child Development, 77(1), 153-175.

Judge, S., Puckett, K., &Cabuk, B. (2004).Digital equity: new findings from the early childhood longitudinal study.Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36(4), 383-396.

Klein, A., & Starkey, P. (2004).Fostering preschool children’s mathematical knowledge: findings from the Berkeley Math Readiness Project.In D.H. Clements & J. Sarama (Eds.), Engaging young children in mathematics (pp. 343-377). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Klein, A., Starkey, P., &Wakeley, A. (1998, June).Supporting pre-kindergarten children’s readiness for school mathematics.Poster presented at the NIECDE Project Director’s Meeting, Washington, DC.

La Paro, K. L., &Pianta, R. C. (2000). Predicting children’s competence in the early school years.Review of Educational Research, 70(40), 443-484.

Landerholm, E. (1994). Computers in the kindergarten.Early Child Development and Care, 101(13), 13-22.

Langone, J, Malone, M. D., &Kinsley, T. (1999).Technology solution for young children with developmental concerns.Infants and Young Children, 11(4), 65-78.

Massey, A., &Walford, G. (1998). Children learning: ethnographers learning. In A. Massey& G. Walford (Eds.), Studies in educational ethnography: Children learning in context (pp. 1-19). Stamford, CT: JAI Press.

Mattanah, J.F., Pratt, M.W., Cowan, P.A., & Cowan, C.P. (2005). Authoritative parenting, parental scaffolding of long-division mathematics, and children’s academic competence in fourth grade.Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology: An International Lifespan Journal, 26(1), 85-106.

Mazzocco, M. M. M., & Thompson, R. E. (2005).Kindergarten predictors of math learning disability.Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 20(3), 142-155.

Nastasi, B. K., &Clements, D. H. (1991). Research on cooperative learning: Implications for practice. School Psychology Review, 20(1), 110-132.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.(2000). Principles and standards. Retrieved April 05, 2005, from http://www.nctm.org/standards

National Center for Education Statistics.(2002). Children’s reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten and first grade.Retrieved September, 25, 2006, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/kindergarten/21.asp?nav=4

National Center for Education Statistics.(2003). The nation’s report card: Mathematics 2003. Retrieved September, 28, 2006, from http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/mathematics/results2003/natscalescore.asp

National Center for Education Statistics. (2005). The nation’s report card: Mathematics 2005. Retrieved September, 08, 2006, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006453

Nichols, J. D. (2003). Prediction indicators for students failing the state of Indiana high school graduation exam.Preventing School Failure, 47(3), 112-121.

Popham, W. J. (1999). Why standardized tests don’t measure educational quality. Educational Leadership, 56(6), 8-15.

Ramey, G., Ramey, V., A (1995). Cross-country evidence on the link between volatility and growth.The American Economic Review, 85, 5, 1138-1151.

Sarama, J., & Clements, D. H. (2006). Mathematics, young students, and computers: Software, teaching strategies and professional development. The Mathematics Educator, 9(2), 112-134.

Schunk, D.H. (2004). Learning theories: An educational perspective (4th ed.).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

Stedman, L. (1997). Deep achievement differences: An assessment of a new perspective. Educational Researcher, 26(3), 4-15.

Vanderheyden, A., Broussard, C., Fabre, M., Stanley, J., Legendre, J., &Crappell, R. (2004). Development and validation of curriculum based measures of math performance for pre-school children. Journal of Early Intervention, 27(1), 27-41.

Whiting, P. (2004).Engaging the learning community through family mathematics.In R. N. Rubenstein& G. W. Bright (Eds.), Perspectives on the teaching of mathematics (pp. 117-140). Reston, VA: NCTM.

Wilson, R., Majsterek, D., &Simmons, D. (2005).The effects of computer-assisted versus teacher-directed instruction on the multiplication performance of elementary students with learning disabilities.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29(4), 382-390.

Wood, D., &Wood, H. (1996).Vygotsky, tutoring, learning.Oxford Review of Education, 22(1), 5-17.

Downloads

Published

2013-12-08

How to Cite

Öz, A. Şükran. (2013). A pilot home-based early intervention study to improve the mathematical skills of young children. Journal of Human Sciences, 10(2), 779–800. Retrieved from https://www.j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/2746

Issue

Section

Computer Education and Instructional Technologies