Effects of Schematic Chunking Accommodation on Enhancing Geometry Performance in Students With Math Difficulties and Students at Risk of Math Failure

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Inclusion and Accessibility in Educational Assessment SIG (96) Roundtable Session

Abstract

We investigated as a testing accommodation, whether schematic chunking is effective in improving the performance of students with mathematics difficulties (MD) and students at risk of math failure. Thirty-three students, including 18 with MD and 15 at risk, were randomly assigned to two groups: a “cheat sheet” of related theorems was provided to one group but not the other. Students in both groups received two versions of a geometry test: a test with a plain figure representation, and a parallel test with coloring and marks that highlighted the elements of a schematic chunk. Results found a main effect of chunking for all participants, and the chunking effect was greater for difficult one-step and multi-step problems than for simple one-step problems.

Authors

• Dake Zhang, Rutgers University

• Amanda Indyk, Rutgers University

• Steven Greenstein, Montclair State University

• Yan Wang, Beijing Normal University