Learning mathematics involves abstract thinking and the use of symbols. To be successful in a mathematics classroom, students must master what symbols mean and how they work. Much prior work has focused on the nature of the external representations used in mathematics instruction, including manipulatives and symbolic representations. In this work,…

Although basing instruction on a learning trajectory (LT) is often recommended, there is little evidence regarding the premise of a LT approach--that to be maximally meaningful, engaging, and effective, instruction is best presented one LT level beyond a child's present level of thinking. This hypothesis was evaluated for an empirically-validated…

Although basing instruction on a learning trajectory (LT) is often recommended, there is little evidence regarding a premise of a LT approach--that to be maximally meaningful, engaging, and effective, instruction is best presented 1 LT level beyond a child's present level of thinking. We evaluated this hypothesis using an empirically validated LT…

The purpose of this study was to investigate second-grade students' ("N" = 128) rhythm-reading achievement and retention after 5 or 10 min of weekly instruction for 3 weeks. Eight intact classes were placed into two groups. Group 1 received 5 min of rhythm-reading instruction during weekly music class, whereas Group 2 received 10 min of…

The purpose of this experimental study was to examine the impact of English language learner (ELL) instructional extension strategies on African American K-2nd grade students with low-literacy proficiency. DIBELSO 8th edition literacy assessment for K-2nd grade was used to determine literacy proficiency during the study. The study included 74…

The present study assessed the effectiveness of the ECRIMO educational application designed to build first-grade level spelling skills. We tested whether using the app to teach spelling would be as effective as providing the same training using traditional paper exercises. The effect of integrating gamification into mobile learning apps, which has…

This study aims to develop a mathematics education program supported by stories for 48-60-month-old children attending pre-school education institutions and examine its effect on children's early mathematics skills. The study group consists of 48-60-month-old-children who continue pre-school education in an independent kindergarten affiliated with…

Experimental research on strategy instruction for beginning writers has only recently begun. This study investigated the role of self-regulation instruction in Grade 1 strategy learning. In a pretest-post-test quasi-experiment, 120 Grade 1 students participated in a unit of study on personal narrative in one of three conditions: (1) Self-Regulated…

The goal of this study was to assess whether a short, media literacy intervention could effectively support third- and fourth-graders' abilities to interpret and produce persuasive arguments. The intervention was delivered to students (N = 50) and focused on the knowledge and skills associated with advertising literacy. Students participated in…

A vast majority of elementary students struggle with the core, pre-algebraic concept of mathematical equivalence. The Improving Children's Understanding of Equivalence (ICUE) intervention integrates four research-based strategies to improve outcomes for second grade students: (1) introducing the equal sign before arithmetic, (2) non-traditional…

Powell, Berry, et al. (in press) conducted a randomized control trial assessing the effects of two variants of word-problem intervention with third graders (n = 304) experiencing mathematics difficulty. Students were assigned to a business-as-usual condition (BaU) or one of two variants of word-problem intervention. One variant included a…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a morphological awareness intervention on the spelling and writing of second-grade (n = 16) and third-grade (n = 10) students at risk for learning disabilities. The intervention was provided for 25 min per session 4 to 5 times per week for 5 weeks. Students were randomly assigned to the…

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether positive results from a word-problem intervention implemented one-to-one contributed to similar outcomes when implemented in small groups of three to four students. Third-grade students experiencing mathematics difficulty (n = 76) were randomly assigned to word-problem intervention (n = 56)…

This study's purpose was to investigate effects of 3 intervention approaches for building working memory (WM) and improving word-problem solving (WPS). Children with mathematics difficulties (n = 240; 7.51 years [SD = 0.33]) were randomized to 4 conditions: a control group, general WM training with contiguous math practice, WPS intervention…

Repeated reading (RR) is a common fluency intervention, but recent studies comparing RR to continuous reading (CR; i.e., wide reading) found no significant differences in effects. This prompts the question of whether the mechanism that improves skills is repeatedly reading portions of connected text, or simply reading connected text. The current…