Students Implement Independent Math Fluency Interventions

Abstract

This study was implemented to support 3rd grade students that were having difficulty learning the single digit multiplication math facts by using the intervention Self-Administered Folding-In Technique. SAFI allows students to independently practice a set of 10 multiplication facts and self-correct errors. The students self-monitored their own progress and used a timer to check for accuracy and automaticity. The first purpose of the study was to see if SAFI increase the number of single-digit multiplication facts learned. The study also looked to answer if SAFI increased single digit multiplication automaticity in below grade level students? Do students who attain higher levels of knowledge also have higher levels of motivation? A total of 25 male and female students with different math ability levels participated in the study. Students sought to increase their fact fluency of single digit multiplication math facts by 50 percent in the regular education classroom. The study also attempted to measure the student's attitude towards math by using the student’s motivation towards math learning questionnaire (SMTML), which is a survey designed to measure motivation. The responses were compared at the beginning and at the end of the study to observe if motivation increased after the students acquired a larger set of single digit multiplication math facts. Preliminary results of this study suggest that students increased their single-digit multiplication fact knowledge during the intervention phase.

Key Words: Math fluency, Self-Administered Folding-In Technique, self-monitoring, math motivation.