USING SELF-REGULATED STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE THE FRACTIONS SKILLS OF STUDENTS WITH AVERAGE AND LOW MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract

The study investigated the effectiveness of using Self-Regulation Strategy Development (SRSD) in teaching fraction skills using an experimental research design, specifically a switching replications design. The participants consisted of 62 eighth-grade students, identified with average and low mathematics achievement, selected from a school in Al Batinah South Governorate, Oman. The participants were selected from a sample based on their mathematics achievement levels and then randomly assigned to two conditions (treatment and control group). To collect data, screening measures, a pre-post-test on fraction skills, and a social validity questionnaire were used. The results show significant differences between groups in fraction scores after receiving the intervention, indicating the effectiveness of using SRSD in teaching fraction skills. Further, the study found that SRSD is effective in helping students in the treatment group maintain fraction skills one month after intervention. The results from the self-reported questionnaire showed that the students provided positive views about how beneficial the intervention was for them. The results were discussed in terms of the role of SRSD fractions in facilitating learning for students with different levels of academic achievement and how their differences in learning environments and pre-existing differences may affect knowledge fade. Keywords: Self-regulation, fraction skills, mathematics achievement, students’ perspectives