Expanding Task Instructions May Increase Fractions Problem Difficulty for Students With Mathematics Learning Disability

• Published in: Learning disability quarterly Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 201 - 213
• Main Authors: Herold, Katherine H., Bock, Allison M., Murphy, Melissa M., Mazzocco, Michèle M. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Sage Publications, Inc 01.11.2020; SAGE Publications; SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Elementary School Students; Executive function; Fractions; Grade 5; Hearing; Instructional Effectiveness; Instructions; Learning Disabilities; Mathematics; Mathematics Education; Mathematics Instruction; Predictor Variables; Problem solving; Reasoning; Short term memory; Students with Disabilities; Teaching Methods; Thinking Skills; mathematics learning disability; problem difficulty; fractions; expanded task instructions
• ISSN: 0731-9487; 2168-376X
• DOI: 10.1177/0731948719865476

When a student struggles with a mathematics task, adults may rephrase or expand initial task instructions to clarify instructions or scaffold problem solving. Yet expanded instructions may not benefit all children, especially children with a mathematics learning disability (MLD). Here, we explore whether expanded instructions differentially affect fractions comparison performance for children with or without MLD. Fifth graders (N = 190) completed two consecutive sets of 24 fraction comparison items, each accompanied by initial or expanded instructions, respectively; and also completed vocabulary, spatial reasoning, verbal working memory, executive function, and number knowledge tasks. Results showed that fraction comparison performance was generally worse following expanded rather than initial instructions, particularly for difficult items or for children with MLD. Fixed ordered regressions showed that the strength of cognitive skills as predictors of performance varied depending on instructions format and MLD status, that the five cognitive predictors collectively accounted for more performance variation with initial compared to expanded instructions, and that vocabulary’s relative predictive strength as a single predictor increased when instructions were expanded, but only for children with mathematics difficulties. These findings support the notion that problem features differentially affect children with or without MLD and that not all children benefit from hearing expanded instructions for difficult mathematics tasks.