Teaching Written Explanations for Additive Problem-Solving and Reasoning

This study investigated the effects of a Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) intervention on the quality of written explanations for additive problem-solving and reasoning, as well as on mathematical writing strategy use for students with learning difficulties. Participants were three third- and fourth-grade students identified with learning difficulties in mathematics and writing. A special education teacher implemented the individualized intervention across 15 lessons, during which she explicitly taught PRISM✓, a mathematical writing strategy, to help students plan, organize, and compose structured written explanations of their additive problem-solving and reasoning. A multiple-probe design across students was used to examine the effects of the intervention. The results indicated that, compared to the baseline, two of the three students produced higher-quality responses to describe their additive problem-solving and reasoning, including precise vocabulary and using more steps of the strategy during the intervention phase. The other student, who demonstrated significant writing difficulties, made immediate improvements in mathematical writing quality when a speech-to-text device was introduced. While the effects of the intervention were maintained four weeks after the intervention, students’ mathematical writing quality was lower in the generalization probes. The findings highlight the importance of combining explicit strategy instruction, self-regulation, visual representation, and mathematics vocabulary support to strengthen students’ written mathematical reasoning.