The Impact of a Math Volunteer Tutoring Program on the Numerical Ability of Elementary Children

• In Event: New Developments in Cooperative Learning

Abstract

This paper outlines the design and evaluation of a volunteer tutoring program designed to improve fact recall and calculation ability of seven and eight year old children. The intervention group received the Learn-a-Long Math program twice a week for twelve weeks in addition to their normal mathematics classroom teaching whereas the control group only received their normal mathematics classroom teaching. The findings revealed that there was a significant effect of the intervention on math fluency (ES = .23) and calculation ability of children (ES = .52), however there was no significant main effect of the intervention on children’s attitudes to math. This study showed that there is potential for volunteer tutoring programs to support children’s mathematics achievement.

Authors

• Nicole Craig, Queen's University - Belfast

• Sarah Miller, Queen's University - Belfast

• Paul Connolly, Queen's University - Belfast