Setting
The study took place with students from 186 classrooms in 21 schools. The exact location is not specified.
Study sample
Within the analytic sample of the comparison covered in this review (word problem without language condition vs. Word Problem with language instruction contrast), 39 percent were male, 61 percent were female, 36 percent were Black, 57 percent were White, 6 percent were another race, 35 percent were Hispanic, 38 percent were English-learners, and 79 percent were considered economically disadvantaged.
Intervention Group
The intervention, word problem solving without language, involved 45 sessions, each 30-minutes long. The intervention was implemented one-on-one over 15 weeks, with instruction taking place outside of the normal classroom. The sessions began with 5 minutes of speeded practice, followed by 20 minutes of instruction, and 5 minutes for practice.
The intervention had explicit instruction, meaning the instructors used simple, direct language, modeled effective strategies for solving problems (rather than having students come up with strategies on their own), scaffolded learning so that support from the instructor gradually faded over time and gave students opportunities for independent practice, and used cumulative review to measure student learning. The intervention also included self-regulation strategies related to using the proper volume when speaking, staying in seats, following directions, and making effort to answer the questions correctly.
The word problem without language intervention, known as Pirate Math, is organized in five units: Unit 1 (lessons 1-9) addresses adding and subtracting concepts, addition and subtraction counting strategies, and solving for a missing number; Unit 2 (lessons 10-18) focuses on total problems (combining two or three quantities to make a total); Unit 3 (lessons 19-27) focuses on difference problems (comparing a larger and a smaller quantity to find the difference); Unit 4 (lessons 28-36) focuses on change problems (increasing or decreasing a start quantity to produce an end quantity; and Unit 5 (lessons 37-45) introduced a sorting game where students decide whether a problem is total, difference, or change.
Comparison Group
The comparison condition in this review, word problem solving with language intervention group, had the same structure and frequency as the intervention condition. It also had explicit instruction and included a self-regulation system. The word problem with language condition differed from the word problem solving without language condition because it had additional language comprehension components throughout the instruction. For example, instructors give definitions for terms commonly found in combine problems (such as "in all") or compare problems ("more", "fewer", "than").
Support for implementation
Across all intervention conditions, 54 full or part-time hired tutors implemented the intervention. Each worked with 5-6 students. Tutors participated in a two-day workshop introducing them to the intervention program and then were supported in the implementation of the program via weekly meetings during the 15 weeks of intervention.