The Effectiveness of Teaching Number Relationships in Preschool [Building Blocks software, with rekenrek and ten-frame activities vs. business as usual (Mathematics: The Creative Curriculum Approach)]
Jung, Myoungwhon; Hartman, Paula; Smith, Thomas; Wallace, Stephen (2013). International Journal of Instruction, v6 n1 p165-178. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1085361
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examining73Students, gradePK
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: June 2022
- Practice Guide (findings for Building Blocks software, with rekenrek and ten-frame activities)
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a cluster quasi-experimental design that provides evidence of effects on individuals by satisfying the baseline equivalence requirement for the individuals in the analytic intervention and comparison groups.
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
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Test of Early Mathematics Ability, Third Edition, (TEMA-3) |
Building Blocks software, with rekenrek and ten-frame activities vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
104.01 |
100.08 |
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: 44%
Male: 56% -
Suburban
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Illinois
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in a recently built public preschool building located in a suburban area outside of Chicago, IL. Four classrooms were included in the study.
Study sample
The authors reported that all students were between the ages of 3-5 with a mean age of 4.61 for the intervention and a mean age of 4.61 for the comparison. Fifty-six percent were male and 43.8% were female; 31.5% of the sample had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Intervention Group
The intervention consisted of practices and activities the intervention teachers implemented using whole class instruction with their students. Teachers taught activities in their classrooms Monday-Thursday for 5-10 minutes with their regular classroom routines. Three activities were used during training sessions (rekenrek, Building Block software, and ten-frame). Rekenrek uses colored beads to show different number arrangements. The teachers showed different number arrangements and asked the students to recognize the quantities. The second activity used, Building Blocks software, provides children with computer-based mathematic activities. These activities were designed to strengthen children's understanding of number relationships. The final activity used was ten-frame. Teachers presented a "fishing net" activity once a week in which children were asked to find how many fish were caught in the fishing net.
Comparison Group
Teachers in the comparison condition taught mathematics as usual and did not incorporate any of the intervention activities.
Support for implementation
Teachers received two training sessions on all activities. Additionally, upon request, each activity was demonstrated in the teacher's classroom but only for the first week of the study. These teachers were observed at least twice a week to ensure fidelity of the intervention.
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.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).