Mathematics instruction and PASS cognitive processes: an intervention study

The purpose of this study was to determine if an instruction designed to facilitate planning, given by teachers to their class as a group, would have differential effects depending on the specific cognitive characteristics of the individual students. A cognitive instruction that facilitated planning was provided to a group of 12 students with learning disabilities. All students completed math work sheets during 7 sessions of baseline and 21 sessions of intervention (when the instruction designed to facilitate planning was provided). During the intervention phase, students engaged in self-reflection and verbalization of strategies about how mathematics problems were completed. The class was sorted according to planning scores, obtained using the Cognitive Assessment System, which is based on Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS) theory; and low- and high-planning contrast groups were identified. The results, consistent with previous research, showed that teaching control and regulation of cognitive activity had beneficial effects for all students but was especially helpful for those who were poor in planning, as defined by the PASS theory. Implications of these findings are provided.