Fraction and decimal arithmetic pose large difficulties for many children and adults. This is a serious problem, because proficiency with these skills is crucial for learning more advanced mathematics and science and for success in many occupations. This review identifies two main classes of difficulties that underlie poor understanding of…

This research study investigates how pre-service teachers integrate statistical content, students' thinking, and pedagogy as they examine how 11- to 12-year olds develop mathematically. The findings provide insights into: a) how pre-service teachers identify some of the difficulties that students commonly have, and b) what pedagogical approaches…

Much attention has been devoted in the literature to students' struggles with fraction division. With regard to the traditional invert and multiply algorithm, researchers and educators have examined such areas as typical errors, how to help students understand why this method works, and what alternatives are available that might be more intuitive.…

This study examined how four domain-specific skills (arithmetic procedural skills, number fact retrieval, place value concept, and number sense) and two domain-general processing skills (working memory and processing speed) may account for Chinese children's mathematics learning difficulties. Children with mathematics difficulties (MD) of two age…

As a group, children from disadvantaged, low-income families perform substantially worse in mathematics than their counterparts from higher-income families. Minority children are disproportionately represented in low-income populations, resulting in significant racial and social-class disparities in mathematics learning linked to diminished…

The inability to develop, strengthen, and access associations in memory that allow for the rapid and accurate retrieval of answers to basic addition problems is a distinguishing characteristic of a mathematics learning difficulty. The "two-factor theory of math fact learning" (Robinson, Menchetti, & Torgesen, 2002) proposes that a weakness in…

This yearbook is organized into three main sections: arithmetic, junior high school mathematics, and high school mathematics. Chapter 1 identifies and discusses specific questions in arithmetic instruction and learning. The kinds of research needed and suggestions about students needing remedial work are also discussed. Chapter 2 deals with…

A few examples, relating specifically to fractions, of the many possible intriguing and substantial ideas to be found in remedial mathematics are given. (MN)

The results of this case study of a 15-year-old dropout indicate the potential usefulness of incorporating process mnemonics, particularly in the form of allegorical characterizations and stories, within mathematical instructional strategies for the learning disabled. (15 references) (JJK)

The author discusses Professor Henry A. Bent's presentation regarding the nature of the difficulty that many college and university students have with arithmetic reasoning involving division. (HM)

The author finds that students who have not previously mastered arithmetic skills do not benefit from an individualized review course. He describes such a course and presents four case studies in support of his position. (SD)

Diagnostic interviews were conducted with third graders to determine why they made mistakes on sixteen arithmetical tasks. A modified version of the Newman method of analyzing errors is discussed and applied to these interviews. (MP)

This document notes that arithmetic disabilities can occur with an otherwise normal intelligence level. Two models of explanation are given. The first emphasizes the conditions under which children learn mathematics, the second views the identification of a number of factors in the "structure of intelligence" that appear to be strongly…

Predictors of retrieval times produced by students having difficulty developing a reliance on retrieval for simple addition were discovered. The findings support the notion that separate limitations operate in working memory when retrieval occurs and call into question the use of the term "retrieval deficit" to explain difficulties…

This study investigated whether young, poor, inner-city children are deficient in the mathematical skills and concepts necessary for later success in school arithmetic. Children of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten age, black or white, and lower class or middle class, were given a wide variety of mathematical tasks, including Piagetian measures,…