Effectiveness and practical implicability of motivational low-threshold support methods on the performance of building factual knowledge of students with learning difficulties in math

Abstract

This dissertation presents four studies published in peer-reviewed journals focusing on improving the development of mathematical factual knowledge of students with learning difficulties. Mastering fluency building with basic math facts is considered a strong predictor to achieve sufficient or above mathematical competencies. Struggling with this development can already lead to students’ demotivation, frustration and avoiding further engagement. Therefore, all papers were conducted with the aim to provide access to methods that help overcome this hurdle with different motivational support for those struggling students and into a deeper engagement of mathematical competency acquisition. One study focused on the impact of enhancing students’ motivation by implementing a combined multicomponent motivational system (MMS). The second study used a specially designed combination of the previously examined motivational methods that math racetracks enhanced. After this examination, again an extension was made by a combination of the previous examined methods with peer tutoring. All three papers were evaluated regarding their effectivity concerning the development of math fact fluency. The final paper evaluated the effectiveness of a response card intervention on the participation of low-performers during their math class. For the purpose of the research, single-case designs were applied and the studies were conducted in elementary and secondary grades in regular and special schools. This alone led to participants with very heterogeneous conditions and further research will be necessary to underline these studies’ findings. Still, all four papers’ results indicated that all interventions concerning motivation, racetracks and response cards are highly effective and therefore could provide students and teachers alike with an opportunity to enrich the classroom through a significant increase of students’ performance and engagement into mastering mathematical basic facts fluency. Providing teachers with effective, easy-to-implement methods in their classroom independent of special needs or not as well as of grade is an aim any research should try to meet more often, and which, in this case, can be considered successfully achieved