Teaching Mathematics to Adolescents Classified as Educable Mentally Handicapped

Abstract

This study examined the effects of teaching adolescents classified as having educable mental handicaps (EMH) to solve four-column subtraction problems involving regrouping through three different methods: (a) pencil and paper, (b) calculators, and (c) calculators employing a rehearsal strategy using problems containing visual cues. The students classified as EMH (five females and two males) were enrolled in a self-contained special education class in a junior high school. Forty-four eighth-grade general education students were selected from the same school to participate in a preexperimental, noninstructional, peer group assessment. An ABCD, single-case experimental design was used, with multiple probes introduced at staggered intervals. Days per phase ranged from 4 to 10. Two maintenance phases were scheduled, the first immediately after the last instructional phase, and the second 26 days later. The results indicated significant differences in performance favoring calculators over pencil and paper for each student classified as EMH. No difference in performance was found for the sample of general education students across computational modes; however, a split point (cutoff score) was found at 17.5 correct digits per minute with pencil and paper, which predicted a student's best computational mode. Rehearsal and visual cues significantly influenced correct performance for only one student classified as EMH. Maintenance of correct performance with calculators over time was excellent for each pupil. A positive relationship was found between the number of head swings used to input digits into a calculator and computational time. Without calculators, the students classified as EMH were markedly inferior to their general education peers; however, with calculators the performances were equivalent. Several clinical issues involved in conventional and calculator instruction for students with special needs are discussed.