A systematic literature review of math interventions across educational settings from early childhood education to high school

The study provides an overview of mathematical interventions used to support children’s maths skills from kindergarten to upper secondary school. The researchers gather information about the types of interventions that are most prevalent and effective in different age groups. The aim is to determine what works best to help children develop maths skills early in life and to identify areas where further research is needed to improve mathematics education.

The review found that mathematical interventions were most often implemented in primary school, with relatively few studies in the youngest age groups and in upper secondary school. The interventions that focused solely on mathematics had a greater effect than those that included other academic subjects. The results also show that interventions with small groups and adapted teaching programmes were particularly effective. Many interventions targeted children in at-risk situations, such as children from low socio-economic backgrounds. The study concludes that more interventions are needed for the youngest children and that future research should include the parents as part of the support system in mathematics interventions.

To gain a comprehensive overview of research on mathematical interventions, the study followed a systematic approach that made it possible to identify and evaluate relevant articles. The articles were retrieved from major databases such as ProQuest, Scopus, and JSTOR, using search terms related to mathematics and interventions. Only studies that used randomised, controlled designs and focused on improving children’s maths skills were included. After the researchers had carefully assessed all the articles, they were left with 75 studies that met the criteria. These studies were then analysed to determine which interventions were most effective, how long they lasted, who implemented them, and how they were adapted to different education levels and age groups.

Svane, R. P., Willemsen, M. M., Bleses, D., Krøjgaard, P., Verner, M., & Nielsen, H. S. (2023). A systematic literature review of math interventions across educational settings from early childhood education to high school. I Frontiers in Education (vol. 8, s. 1229849). Frontiers Media SA.