Does Working Memory Moderate the Effects of Fraction Intervention? An Aptitude-Treatment Interaction

This study investigated whether individual differences in working memory (WM) moderate effects of 2 variations of intervention designed to improve at-risk 4th graders' fraction knowledge. We also examined the effects of each intervention condition against a business-as-usual control group and a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of educational psychology 2014-05, Vol.106 (2), p.499-514
Main Authors: Fuchs, Lynn S., Schumacher, Robin F., Sterba, Sonya K., Long, Jessica, Namkung, Jessica, Malone, Amelia, Hamlett, Carol L., Jordan, Nancy C., Gersten, Russell, Siegler, Robert S., Changas, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aptitude Treatment Interaction
At Risk Populations
At risk students
Biological and medical sciences
Control Groups
Educational psychology
Fractions
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Grade 4
Human
Individual Differences
Intervention
Mathematics Education
Measurement
Memory
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopedagogics. Didactics
Short Term Memory
Students
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Summary:This study investigated whether individual differences in working memory (WM) moderate effects of 2 variations of intervention designed to improve at-risk 4th graders' fraction knowledge. We also examined the effects of each intervention condition against a business-as-usual control group and assessed whether children's measurement interpretation of fractions mediated those effects. At-risk students (n = 243) were randomly assigned to control and 2 intervention conditions. The interventions each lasted 12 weeks, with three 30-min sessions per week. The major focus of both intervention conditions was the measurement interpretation of fractions. Across the 2 conditions, only 5 min of each 30-min session differed. One condition completed activities to build fluency with 4 measurement interpretation topics; in the other, activities were completed to consolidate understanding on the same 4 topics. Results revealed a significant aptitude-treatment interaction, in which students with very weak WM learned better with conceptual activities but children with more adequate (but still low) WM learned better with fluency activities. Both intervention conditions outperformed the control group on all outcomes, and improvement in the measurement interpretation of fractions mediated those effects.
ISSN:0022-0663
1939-2176
DOI:10.1037/a0034341