An Examination of Social Validity Assessment on Mathematics Interventions for English Language Learners: A Review of Literature

Many students experience challenges in learning mathematics, including English language learners (ELLs) from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Although mathematics interventions may demonstrate statistically significant outcomes, assessing social validity allows intervention consumers to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention. This literature review examined 11 single-case design studies published between 2004 and 2024 to analyze how studies involving ELLs with learning disabilities or difficulties assessed social validity. In this study, social validity was analyzed across five dimensions: constructs, participants, timing, methods, and discussion of results. Findings suggest the need to establish a shared understanding of social validity constructs, include a broader range of stakeholders in social validity data collection, expand data collection to the pre- and mid-intervention phases, incorporate formal assessment instruments, and provide a more comprehensive discussion of social validity results. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.