Investigation of a Multi-Component Intervention Addressing Mathematical Reasoning and Self-Regulation of Behavior for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities

Abstract

For students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (EBD), negative student outcomes are the poorest across disability categories, including high rates of school dropouts, unemployment and incarcerations. Mathematically, students with EBD receiving instruction in special education settings experience practices not consistent with recommendations for high quality mathematics instruction, resulting in 73% of students performing below the 50th percentile on standardized mathematics achievement tests (Wagner, Kutash, Duchnowski, Epstein, & Sumi, 2005). This study focused on the development and implementation of a multi-component mathematics/behavior intervention addressing mathematical reasoning and meaningful mathematics participation for elementary students with EBD. Participants for this study included 3 upper elementary students who were identified with EBD and low performance in mathematics. Each student participated in one-on-one instruction approximately 4 days per week for 20 minute over 4 weeks (n=16 sessions). A single-subject multiple baseline research design was implemented and intervention sessions were video recorded for further analysis. The intervention was effective in improving student outcomes in developing a deeper level of place value understanding, more efficient strategy use and an increase in productive participation.