Using an Intelligent Tutor and Math Fluency Training to Improve Math Performance

This article integrates research in intelligent tutors with psychology studies of memory and math fluency (the speed to retrieve or calculate answers to basic math operations). It describes the impact of computer software designed to improve either strategic behavior or math fluency. Both competenci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of artificial intelligence in education Vol. 21; no. 1-2; pp. 135 - 152
Main Authors Arroyo, Ivon, Royer, James M, Woolf, Beverly P
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published IOS Press 2011
Subjects
Cognitive Processes
Computation
Computer Software
Grade 7
Grade 8
Intervention
Mathematics Achievement
Mathematics Education
Mathematics Instruction
Problem Solving
Short Term Memory
Teaching Methods
Tutors
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Summary:This article integrates research in intelligent tutors with psychology studies of memory and math fluency (the speed to retrieve or calculate answers to basic math operations). It describes the impact of computer software designed to improve either strategic behavior or math fluency. Both competencies are key to improved performance and both address working memory limitations as students solve math problems. This research evaluated software interventions to improve strategies and fluency and tested their relative magnitude on math post-tutor performance. We discovered that both interventions appear to complement one another, impacting math achievement. Results suggest that training both strategy and fluency provide an advantage in accuracy and speed at answering math problems, due to more available memory capacity. Mathematics fluency has an impact on students' cognitive resources that are needed for more difficult (computationally intensive) math problems. We suggest that intelligent tutors can be enhanced with math fluidity training activities that help students to make calculations automatically with minimal memory load. (Contains 3 tables, 1 footnote, and 3 figures.)
ISSN:1560-4292
DOI:10.3233/JAI-2011-020