The article argues that the video-based intervention in the classes that is constituted of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) improve their accuracy in solving fraction word problems. The assertions made by the authors are summarized below.
The subject of the research is the determining of the efficiency of the point-of-view video intervention while teaching the students with ASD the necessary skills of manipulations with fractions word problem-solving. The authors explore this issue for several reasons. Although the learning programs for students with ASD are diverse and aim to develop various skills, the primary focus of them is still on acquisition and enhancement of social and communication abilities. The development of mathematics expertise, on the other hand, is less common and do not have sufficient research. Students with ASD experience serious problems during the work with the following subgroups of math: “visuospatial challenges, procedural challenges, and semantic memory challenges.” Moreover, the word processing in mathematics is the significant obstacle for children with ASD. The authors argue that the introduction of the teaching videos may considerably increase the level of comprehension and performance in such fundamental mathematics.
The design of the study is identified by the authors as a single case, which implies the numerous examinations of students with the opportunity to “replicate the effect of the intervention on the dependent variable and demonstrate the existence of a functional relationship between the interventions and outcome variable.” Moreover, three efforts of the study at three various locations have been implemented. Therefore, the principle of a single case study is satisfied. The intervention assessments have been performed while the students were watching the point-of-view video created for the study. After that, the maintenance assessments have aggregated the information about the students’ retention level of obtained skills. The researchers have identified the completed fraction problems as correct or incorrect. The number of participators of the study constitutes of four male students who satisfy the ASD criteria, do not have experience with the video modeling education and have problems concerning the math problem-solving.
The independent variable includes the point-of-view videos with the instructions of how to solve the math problems. Moreover, the students have been provided with the checklist of the steps necessary to the successful understanding and performance of the skills.
The dependent variable is represented by the accuracy of the “subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators” task concerning every session of the experiment.
Interobserver agreement is equal to 100% and has been calculated by “dividing the number of agreements by the number of agreements plus disagreements and then multiplying by 100 %.” While interobserver agreement and procedural reliability have been calculated, the psychometric properties of the experiment have not been collected.
Treatment integrity is implemented as it was planned by the authors in the research plan, with the intended intervention not differing from implemented intervention.
The results of the research demonstrate the enhancement in accuracy during the fraction word problem-solving. The students that participated in the study showed improvement in that area.
The significance of the study is associated with the limitation of research considering video-based interventions in the field of mathematics. The study demonstrates the efficiency of the point-of-view videos during the educational process, which includes the comprehension of difficult (for the ASD students) concepts and procedures.
The future research questions include the evaluation the errors made by students of the present research can be useful for development and implementation of video modeling education. A single-subject research design is appropriate for the future research as well.
Reference
Yakubova, G., Hughes, E. M., & Hornberger, E. (2015). Video-based intervention in teaching fraction problem-solving to students with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 45(9), 2865-2875.