Dose-response analysis of a computer-based explicit timing intervention

Abstract

Educational technology has shown an increase in use over the years as a method of remediating student academic deficits. While educational technology demonstrates various benefits for students in schools, there is still limited research depicting what amount of intervention students should receive through educational technology. To ensure schools are utilizing resources and time efficiently, it is important usage of educational technology is evaluated in terms of dose. The present study sought to establish the threshold of a mathematical intervention by evaluating three doses of a computer-based explicit timing intervention with third-grade students. Forty-three third-grade students were randomly assigned to one of the three dosage conditions, which were defined by opportunities to respond (OTR). Students assigned to the 1 OTR group received one repetition of a set of subtraction from 12 problems, the 8 OTR group received the same set of problems at eight repetitions, and the 12 OTR group received the problems at twelve repetitions of the problems for 26 school days. Results of the study indicate group assignment of OTR dose was predictive of students’ digits correct per minute growth over time. Limitations of the study and future implications for research are discussed.