Child-Level Predictors of Responsiveness to Evidence-Based Mathematics Intervention.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Identifying predictors of intervention responsiveness is crucial for effective mathematics education.
• Early identification of students with mathematics difficulty allows for targeted support.
• Understanding individual differences can optimize intervention outcomes for struggling learners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify child-level predictors of responsiveness to calculation and word-problem mathematics interventions.
• To examine moderators of intervention effects in 2nd-grade students with mathematics difficulty.
• To inform screening processes for mathematics interventions.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 250 2nd-grade children across 23 schools.
• Classrooms were assigned to calculation intervention, word-problem intervention, or a control group.
• Path analyses were used to identify predictors and moderators of intervention responsiveness.

Main Results:

• Working memory and language comprehension moderated responsiveness to calculation intervention.
• Attentive behavior predicted outcomes for both calculation and word-problem interventions.
• Initial calculation skill predicted calculation outcomes, while initial language comprehension predicted word-problem outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Screening for calculation intervention should assess working memory, language comprehension, attentive behavior, and calculation skills.
• Screening for word-problem intervention should focus on attentive behavior and word-problem abilities.
• Tailoring interventions based on individual student characteristics enhances mathematics learning.