META-ANALYSIS ON MATH INTERVENTION
Summary
In the article Mathematics Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities: A Meta-
Analysis of Instructional Components, the study showed that there forty-two different interventions
that can help students with disabilities. Research shows that there are different resources that will
help with direct instruction and cognitive strategies to help improve students with disabilities’ ability
to process information. The article showed the interventions preparatory mathematics, basic skills,
and problem-solving strategies. The area of basic skills seemed to be the most effective.
Interventions are deemed to help students comprehend and understand the material being
presented to them. The article defended mathematical interventions as an instructional practice to
strengthen the mathematics goals of students with specific learning disabilities.
The study started in 1971 and went through 2007 with two studies that developed three
criteria for inclusion in the classroom. The first criteria are the focus of the study which is the
evaluation of effectiveness of the method of improving the mathematics goals of the students. The
second criteria are the design of the study which was data that was collected pretest or posttest. The
third criteria are the participants in the study which were the students that have been identified with a
learning disability. The study classified four comprehensive groups of instructions. The first group is
the instruction or course scheme. The next group is constructive evaluation information and
response to educators and scholars on their mathematics performance. The third group formative
information and response to learners with LD on presentation. The fourth group is peer-assisted
mathematics tutoring. Explicit teaching is still considered an important instructional method, the
study showed that a mixture of different instructional approaches used together wisely will
enhance and be an effective way to deliver instruction. The article’s purpose is to give teachers
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META-ANALYSIS ON MATH INTERVENTION
the necessary skills to support students that may have a specific learning disability and the
effective ways that have been used.
Analysis Section
The article talks about the numerous strategies that are used by students with specific
learning disabilities. One strategy used is explicit instruction which is the way a teacher breaks
down the instruction step by step. This type of strategy needs to be for a specific set of problems
and the students will use the same procedure to solve the problem. The next strategy that was
used was the use of heuristics which is defined as the approach for solving a problem though
whatever method or strategy that helped the most. You can use this strategy on any problem
unlike explicit instruction. Another strategy is student verbalizations of their mathematical
reasoning allows students to think aloud about how they will approach the problem and solve the
problem. This strategy plays a key part in scaffolding instruction.
Visual representation is another strategy that is used to help solve problems that is often
used with another strategy. Visual representation can be difficult for students with learning
disabilities because they may lack the skills to understand the tools of visual concepts. Another
strategy that is used is range and sequence of examples which are a specific pattern of examples
or the representation of systematic variation in the range. The most effective way this strategy is
used is to ensure that visual representation is used for students to see the pattern and the pattern
is explained. The last strategy is other instructional and curricular variables which consists of any
other variables that were not related to the five that was listed.
One intervention that is important is positive feedback to teachers and students. Providing
feedback allows the students to see their progress and the effort they are making other than their
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META-ANALYSIS ON MATH INTERVENTION
performance. Positive feedback can motivate students to keep giving it their best. Positive
feedback also helps the teacher understand where that student is and where they need to be.
Application
Interventions play a key role in how teachers deliver their instruction to students.
Interventions are especially important for students with specific learning disabilities because they
do not learn the same way as children that do not have a learning disability. The study did show
that peer intervention and heuristics help students with specific learning disabilities the learning
process. Also, heuristics and verbalization give the student an opportunity to discuss how they
solve the problem. Explicit instruction and heuristics help with a student-centered approach
ensure that student growth is building. Heuristics is recognized that memorization through the
study that it can be less challenging cognitively challenging for students with learning
disabilities. Peer assisted learning is a positive tool that allows students with specific learning
disabilities to work with students that are older and may have trained to be a tutor. Peer tutoring
can be used with a range of examples such as providing the roles and responsibilities of a tutor.
The article wanted to ensure that there is a method of solving problems and that if the student
uses the proper methods and techniques, they should solve it correctly. Students with learning
disabilities work well in a group setting, but there are some that work better independently.
Teachers should know their students and know what works for those students. Articulation can
play a key role for students with learning disabilities because they can benefit from it because it
can help improve their behavior control and impulses.
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META-ANALYSIS ON MATH INTERVENTION
References
Gersten, R., Chard, D., Jayanthi, M., Baker, S., & Morphy, P. F. (2009). Mathematics Instruction
for Students with Learning Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis of Instructional Components.
Review of Educational Research, 1202-1242.
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