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Information on IES-Funded Research
Grant Open

Early Mathematics Interventions: A Meta-analysis of Group-Design Interventions to Inform Targeted Intervention for Students with Mathematics Difficulties

NCSER
Program: Special Education Research Grants
Program topic(s): Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Award amount: $800,546
Principal investigator: Gena Nelson
Awardee:
University of Oregon
Year: 2024
Project type:
Exploration
Award number: R324A240004

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to conduct a meta-analysis of group-design mathematics interventions targeting foundational whole number concepts, with a focus on children with and at risk for disabilities and mathematics difficulty in prekindergarten (preK) through grade 1. Specifically, the research team aims to identify differences in the effectiveness of such interventions for typically achieving (TA) students and students at risk for mathematics difficulty (MD) as well as the factors that may moderate differences in intervention effects, including malleable implementation factors (such as instructional format, interventionist training, and instructional strategies), outcome characteristics (such as assessment type and timing of post-test administration), grade level, and student demographic characteristics. While valuable information has been gained by prior investigations, significant gaps remain regarding for whom and under what conditions interventions targeting foundational whole number concepts work. This meta-analysis aims to inform the decisions of education stakeholders, providing guidance on which intervention components result in the greatest gains for students with MD relative to their TA peers and in which contexts these interventions are most effective.

Project Activities

The project team will conduct a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and gray literature from 2006 to present on preK to grade 1 whole number interventions and estimate the overall intervention effect, examine differential effects for students with MD compared to TA peers, identify potential moderators, and synthesize the effects.

Structured Abstract

Setting

This meta-analysis includes studies conducted in school settings from 2006 to the present, including all geographical locations.

Sample

The studies included in the meta-analysis will include students in preK through grade 1, including those with MD as well as TA students.
Factors
Researchers will explore the following implementation factors as moderator variables in the meta-analysis: instructional format, duration, interventionist type and training, instructional strategies, technology, and outcome measure characteristics (such as whether it is standardized or how closely it is aligned with the intervention). They will also explore sample demographics (socioeconomic status, dual language learner status, race/ethnicity, grade/age) as moderators of the intervention effects. Within each research question, they will focus on identifying the differential effects for students with different levels of risk for mathematics difficulty.

Research design and methods

The project will use the following techniques to identify studies: reviewing electronic databases, searching tables of contents of relevant journals, reviewing reference lists of relevant syntheses, conducting forward citation searches, posting requests for information on relevant listservs, and contacting experts in the field. The search includes peer-reviewed and gray literature (including dissertations, conference presentations, book chapters, and technical reports). Researchers will review abstracts, titles, and keywords of identified articles to remove any irrelevant articles. Then they will review the full texts of articles to determine inclusion in the meta-analysis. Each of the abstracts and full article texts will be double screened by independent raters. Then, the research team will use a comprehensive coding protocol to capture relevant information from each of the included studies.

Control condition

Due to the nature of the research design, there is no control condition.

Key measures

Learner outcomes in this meta-analysis are the standardized mean difference effect sizes between intervention and control conditions across mathematics achievement outcomes. Outcome measures will include a variety of measure types, such as norm-referenced tests, researcher-developed tests, and a range in the focus on specific skills.

Data analytic strategy

Researchers will use a multivariate meta-regression model with robust variance estimation to conduct the meta-analysis and assess potential moderators of the effects.

Products and publications

Products: The project will produce evidence of the effectiveness of preK to grade 1 interventions that target foundational whole number concepts on students with and at risk for MD (including evidence of the long-term impacts), identify significant moderators of the effects (including malleable implementation factors and group level demographics), and identify the reporting quality of included studies to highlight current reporting practice. Other products include peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations, and translational research products to communicate results to education stakeholders (including short videos, infographics, tool kits, and webinars).

ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.

Supplemental information

Co-Principal Investigators:  Boedeker, Peter; Clarke, Ben

Questions about this project?

To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.

 

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Questions about this project?

To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.

 

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