Improving Problem-Solving Performance of Students with Mathematics Difficulties

项目摘要/摘要本申请涉及广泛的挑战领域（12）：科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）和具体的挑战主题，01-OD-101：促进STEM的教育方法的有效性。本项目将测试一种完全开发的干预措施（基于图式的教学，SBI）对三年级数学困难学生的有效性。在15年的时间里，SBI主要采用准实验设计进行评估，并对有和没有数学障碍的学生产生了积极的结果。具体而言，本研究将(a)调查SBI干预在改善有数学困难的三年级学生数学问题解决能力方面的有效性，(b)确定SBI干预是否会导致对数学态度的改善。(c)确定相对于对照条件，儿童特征（计算、注意行为、元认知、阅读能力的前测得分）和治疗保真度是否能调节SBI干预的效果。鉴于这项研究的重点是解决小学儿童长期和普遍的数学困难，这项建议直接回应了个人的公共卫生问题。这项研究将在明尼阿波利斯市区的小学进行，该地区的学生群体多样化，并且是低收入社区的代表。在为期两年的研究中，参与者将是大约260名三年级学生。本研究采用随机设计。在大约40个参与的三年级教室中，被确定有数学困难的学生将被随机分配到SBI或控制辅导干预组。他们的数学难度将根据斯坦福成就测试第十版（SAT-10）数学问题解决子测试的分数（< 25百分位）来确定。学生将是作业的单位，也是分析的单位。训练有素的导师将对MD学生样本实施SBI。SBI课程用于教授学生解决问题的策略，以支持他们对一系列单词问题的理解。由于我们有兴趣确定SBI课程是否比一般在小学提供的其他干预措施更有效，所以控制条件下的学生将使用学校设计的或“一切照旧”的数学辅导干预，使用地区采用的课程，调查。关键结果（数学问题解决）的测量包括：SAT-10的数学问题解决子测试，数学单词问题解决（WPS）测试，WPS探针，以及数学能力测试（TOMA）的数学态度子测试。我们将使用学生前测成绩作为协变量来调节预处理差异的影响，估计一组层次线性模型来研究处理对数学问题解决和学生数学态度对后测成绩的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Improving Problem-Solving Performance of Students with Mathematics Difficulties Project Summary/Abstract This application addresses Broad Challenge Area (12): Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Specific Challenge Topic, 01-OD-101: Efficacy of Educational Approaches Toward Promoting STEM. This project will test the efficacy of a fully developed intervention (Schema-Based Instruction, SBI) with third grade students identified with mathematics difficulties (MD). Over a 15-year period, SBI has been evaluated using primarily quasi-experimental designs and has yielded positive outcomes for students with and without MD. Specifically, this study will (a) investigate the effectiveness of SBI intervention in improving the mathematics problem-solving performance of third graders with mathematics difficulties (MD), (b) determine whether SBI intervention will lead to improved attitudes about mathematics, and (c) determine whether child characteristics (scores at pretest on computation, attentive behavior, metacognition, reading ability) and treatment fidelity moderate the effects of SBI intervention relative to a control condition. Given the focus of the study on addressing the chronic and pervasive mathematical difficulties of children in primary school, this proposal is directly responsive to the public health of individuals. This study will take place in elementary schools in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis that has a diverse student population and is representative of low-income neighborhoods. The participants will be approximately 260 third graders across the two years of the study. A randomized design will be used in this study. In each of approximately 40 participating third-grade classrooms, students identified as experiencing mathematics difficulty will be randomly assigned to a SBI or control tutoring intervention group. Verification of their mathematics difficulties will be determined based on scores (< the 25th percentile) on the Mathematics Problem Solving Subtest of the Stanford Achievement Test- tenth edition (SAT-10). Students will be the unit of assignment as well as the unit of analysis. Trained tutors will implement SBI with the sample of students with MD. The SBI curriculum is used to teach students problem solving strategies that support their understanding of a range of word problems. Because we are interested in determining whether the SBI curriculum is more effective than other interventions generally provided in elementary schools, students in the control condition will be provided with school-designed, or "business as usual" mathematics tutoring intervention using the district-adopted curriculum, Investigations. Measures of key outcomes (mathematics problem solving) include: Mathematics Problem Solving Subtest of the SAT-10, Mathematical Word Problem Solving (WPS) Test, WPS probes, and an Attitude Toward Mathematics Subtest of the Test of Mathematical Abilities (TOMA). A set of hierarchical linear models will be estimated to investigate the effect of treatment on mathematical problem solving and student attitudes towards math on posttest scores, using the student pretest score as a covariate to moderate the effect of pretreatment differences. Public Health Relevance: The mathematical underachievement of students in the United States is particularly severe for students with disabilities, limited-English proficient (LEP) students, students from impoverished backgrounds, and minorities (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). The proposed two-year study will address the mathematical problem solving difficulties of third grade students who are identified as having mathematics difficulties (N = 260) by providing small group tutoring using schema-based instruction (SBI) that is known to improve mathematics outcomes for students with mathematics difficulties. Given the focus of the study on addressing the chronic and pervasive mathematical difficulties (i.e., problem solving) of children in elementary schools in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis that has a diverse student population and is representative of low-income neighborhoods, this proposal is directly responsive to the public health of individuals.