USING NUMBER LINE PROCEDURES AND PEER TUTORING TO IMPROVE THE MATHEMATICS COMPUTATION OF LOW-PERFORMING FIRST-GRADERS

Recommendations for mathematics instruction frequently include the use of manipulatives as a critical component. There are few experimental analyses of teaching strategies involving the use of manipulatives (e. g., the number line). This investigation used a multiple baseline desi gn across three groups of students to examine the effectiveness of an experimental procedure for improving low-performing children's skills in solving missing addend arithmetic problems using the number line. T o address concerns about inadequate time for instruction and insuffici ent practice in most mathematics instruction, trained peer tutors impl emented the procedure. The results suggest that student performance im proved when trained tutors taught the students number line procedures and gave them feedback on accuracy. Further, social validation data in dicate that the students, their tutors, and their classroom teachers l iked the procedures.