The Effects of Computer-Based Interventions on Multiplication Fact Fluency of Fifth Grade Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the computer-based program, FASTT Math (Hasselbring & Goin, 2006) has an effect on a fifth-grade students’ fluency with multiplication skills. Multiplication fluency was assessed by a pencil and paper multiplication test that contained 100 multiplication questions (1 to 9 tables). Students for the FASST Math group (n = 10) were selected based on teacher determined math needs from a convenience sample of students. Students in the two control groups (conventional tutoring, n = 10; nointervention, n = 10) were selected to match the students in the FASST Math group based on the pre-intervention multiplication fluency assessment. After the 4 week intervention, the three homogeneous groups completed a post-intervention multiplication fluency assessment. An ANOVA comparing the math fluency scores post- intervention found a significant difference between the groups (F = 6.50, df = 2/27, p < .01). Scheffe’s Tests were used for post-hoc analyses. The FASTT Math group (Mean = 48.90, SD = 10.91) scored significantly higher than both the tutoring (Mean = 33.40, SD = 11.86) (p < .01) and the no-intervention (Mean = 34.40, SD = 9.37) (p < .05) groups. The tutoring and no-intervention groups did not differ significantly (p > .05). Educational implications are discussed. Research in the area of using computer-based interventions should continue given the discussion about the necessity for students to achieve basic math fact fluency in order to complete higher-level tasks.