Fostering First Graders’ Fluency With Basic Subtraction and Larger Addition Combinations Via Computer-Assisted Instruction

Achieving fluency with basic subtraction and add-with-8 or -9 combinations is difficult for primary grade children. A 9-month training experiment entailed evaluating the efficacy of software designed to promote such fluency via guided learning of reasoning strategies. Seventy-five eligible first graders were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: guided subtraction (e.g., If 5 + 3 = 8, then 8 – 3 is 5), guided use-a-10 (e.g., If 10 + 7 = 17, then 9 + 7 is 16), or an unguided-practice condition for 30-minute sessions twice a week for 12 weeks. An ANCOVA revealed that at the delayed posttest, the guided-subtraction group outperformed both comparison groups on unpracticed subtraction combinations. Analyses of gains in slow but appropriate use of reasoning and decreases in inefficient strategy use indicated that both types of guided training promoted the learning of a targeted reasoning strategy.