Building up Mathematical Problem Solving of Students with Extensive Support Needs

The purpose of the research plan is to iteratively develop, refine, and evaluate a math problem-solving intervention across three phases. During Phase 1 (Years 1 and 2), the PI will iteratively develop the intervention procedures and measurement systems, including the teaching scripts, word problems, instructional materials, and generalization measures. In Year 1, the initial version of the intervention will be developed based on the literature and observations of teachers and students with extensive support needs. A single-case design study will be conducted to test whether students who participate in the intervention show improved math problem-solving skills and ability to generalize to other types of math problems. In Year 2, the intervention will be revised based on data from Year 1 and tested in a second single-case design study. The PI will use results of the Phase I development activities to revise the intervention before conducting a third single-case design (SCD) study to test the intervention's feasibility and usability in Phase 2 (Year 3). Data from the feasibility and usability study will be used to modify and develop a final manualized intervention, which will be tested in Phase 3 (Year 4). The promise of the final version of the intervention for improving students' math outcomes will be evaluated in a fourth and final SCD study. Across all phases, the PI will conduct interviews with teachers before, during, and after each SCD study to get their feedback on implementation, acceptability, and possible revisions. Teachers will also complete social validity surveys. Fidelity will be assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively, with interviews and observations informing the development of a treatment fidelity checklist that will produce a quantitative fidelity score. Data from the SCD studies will be analyzed using visual and statistical analysis. In addition, the PI will conduct a cost analysis to determine the cost of implementing the final version of the intervention.