Using a Touch Point Instructional Package to Teach Subtraction Skills to German Elementary Students  At-Risk for LD

Karolina Urton; Matthias Grünke; Richard T.  Boon

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2022) Special Issue: Typical and Atypical Mathematics Learning: What do We Learn from Recent Studies?

Using a Touch Point Instructional Package to Teach Subtraction Skills to German Elementary Students At-Risk for LD

Karolina Urton
Matthias Grünke
Richard T. Boon

Published March 16, 2022 | Pages: 405-416 | Views: 357

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Abstract

This study replicates and extends prior research on multisensory mathematics instruction (Grünke, Urton, & Karnes, 2018) by integrating a touch points strategy, performance feedback, reward system, and a reinforcing game into an instructional package. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of the touch points package on the subtraction skills of four German female first year students at-risk for learning disabilities. During intervention, the students were administered eight to eleven treatment sessions to learn how to subtract a one-digit subtrahend from a two-digit minuend up to 18 crossing over the tens barrier. Results indicated that all students made substantial increases in their subtraction performance during intervention. Student performance improved from 0 to 2 out of 10 math problems solved correctly during baseline to between 8 and 10 problems correct by the end of the intervention. Effect sizes observed across the four participants indicated the effectiveness of intervention ranged from high to very high.

<p>This study replicates and extends prior research on multisensory mathematics instruction (Grünke, Urton, &amp; Karnes, 2018) by integrating a touch points strategy, performance feedback, reward system, and a reinforcing game into an instructional package. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of the touch points package on the subtraction skills of four German female first year students at-risk for learning disabilities. During intervention, the students were administered eight to eleven treatment sessions to learn how to subtract a one-digit subtrahend from a two-digit minuend up to 18 crossing over the tens barrier. Results indicated that all students made substantial increases in their subtraction performance during intervention. Student performance improved from 0 to 2 out of 10 math problems solved correctly during baseline to between 8 and 10 problems correct by the end of the intervention. Effect sizes observed across the four participants indicated the effectiveness of intervention ranged from high to very high.</p>

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Keywords

TouchMath, subtraction skills, single-case analysis, elementary school students, at-risk for learning disabilities

Affiliations

Karolina Urton

University of Münster

Matthias Grünke

University of Cologne

Richard T. Boon

The University of Texas at San Antonio

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How to Cite

Urton, K., Grünke, M., & Boon, R. T. . (2022). Using a Touch Point Instructional Package to Teach Subtraction Skills to German Elementary Students At-Risk for LD. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 14(3), 405–416. Retrieved from https://iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/1773