Improving multiplication fact recall; Interventions that lead to proficiency with mathematical facts

This three-week study focuses on basic multiplication fact recall. Twenty-six fourth grade students from a public school took a baseline test to quantify their multiplication fact recall. These 26 students then received 11 ten-minute practice sessions targeted to improve automaticity with multiplication facts. Each student was placed in a randomly assigned group for 11 practice sessions. Each of the four groups were assigned different modes of practice including: 1) flash cards; 2) paper and pencil practice; 3) website – XtraMath.org; 4) website – Multiplication.com. The results show that all students experienced growth from the baseline test to the post-test, with the XtraMath group showing an overall larger growth in comparison to the other groups. Results of the study also report differing levels of student motivation associated with each mode of practice: the computer-based centers retained a higher level of motivation while the other groups\u27 motivations diminished over time