The Effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development on Mathematical Writing for Students With Mathematics Difficulties

Abstract

This study explored the effectiveness of Self-regulated Strategy Development in improving mathematical writing (MW) performance for three seventh grade students with mathematics difficulties (MD). A total of 12 lessons were taught by a special education teacher, focusing on the utilization of PRISM✓ strategy to support students’ MW performance in multiplicative problem solving and reasoning. To assess the impacts of the intervention, a multiple probe design across the participants was employed to visualize the functional relations between the intervention and dependent measures. Following the intervention, all students demonstrated improvements in their MW performance. They wrote longer paragraphs, skillfully used the strategy, and showed qualitative enhancements in their written mathematical problem-solving and reasoning. However, the maintenance and generalization effects varied among the students. The implications for future research and practice were discussed.