Interleaved Practice Improves Mathematics Learning
Rohrer, Doug; Dedrick, Robert F.; Stershic, Sandra (2015). Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED557355
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examining63Students, grade7
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: August 2021
- Single Study Review (findings for Interleaved practice)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with low cluster-level attrition and individual-level non-response.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Researcher-developed algebra assessment (slope problems) |
Interleaved practice vs. Blocked practice |
30 Days |
Slope problems;
|
65.00 |
29.00 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Researcher-developed algebra assessment (graphing problems) |
Interleaved practice vs. Blocked practice |
30 Days |
Graph problems;
|
84.00 |
54.00 |
Yes |
|
|
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 48%
Male: 52% -
Urban
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Florida
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Race Asian 10% Black 14% Other or unknown 29% White 47% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 22% Not Hispanic or Latino 78%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in nine seventh-grade mathematics classrooms in a public middle school in Tampa, Florida, during the 2013-14 school year.
Study sample
A total of 63 students in grade 7 who received a passing score on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in grade 6 were included in the sample. The 63 students were taught by 3 mathematics teachers in 9 classrooms in one school. In the analysis of mathematics graphing problems, 4 classrooms and 30 students were assigned to interleaved practice (the intervention) and 5 classrooms and 33 students were assigned to blocked practice (the comparison). In the analysis of slope problems, 5 classrooms and 33 students were assigned to interleaved practice and 4 classrooms and 30 students were assigned to blocked practice. Approximately 52% of the students were male, 38% were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and 22% were Hispanic or Latino. In total, 47% were White, 14% were Black, 10% were Asian, and 29% had racial category that was not specified (including 6% identified as multiracial).
Intervention Group
Interleaved practice is a technique that involves integrating problems from current and past lessons to support student learning. In this approach, students complete problem sets and assignments that require multiple strategies learned at different points in the curriculum, rather than a single strategy learned most recently. For example, a student may answer a problem that requires four different skills learned previously rather than four problems that require only the skill learned the previous day. All students received 10 practice assignments over 88 days, followed by a review session five days later. The 10 practice assignments contained 12 graphing problems and 12 slope problems overall, as well as additional problems on other math topics. Students received the same first two assignments which contained four graphing and four slope problems respectively; however, the content of the remaining eight assignments varied for the interleaved and blocked students. For the interleaved graph and slope groups, students received the remaining eight graphing or slope problems spread out between the remaining eight assignments.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received a blocked practice approach in which practice problems requiring the strategy introduced in the immediately preceding lesson are presented. As with the interleaved groups, all students received 10 practice assignments over 88 days, followed by a review session five days later. The same first two assignments provided to the intervention group were presented, but the blocked graph and slope students received the remaining eight graphing or slope problems immediately within the third assignment, rather than them being spread out over the remaining eight assignments (as in the interleaved practice).
Support for implementation
The study does not describe any support for implementation.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
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