| Many students with learning disabilities struggle to overcome the difficulties presented with learning mathematics. For these students, computers may be valued as a learning tool that diminishes frustration in mathematics. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has increased the pressures of educating all students, including students with learning disabilities, within all content areas. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000) reinforces the importance of learning mathematics through the integration of technology. Vygotsky's Social Development Theory, Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, Piaget's developmental stages, and Spiro et al.'s Cognitive Flexibility Theory of Learning (1987) support multimedia-based, computer-based instruction (CBI) for improving student success. Further, computer-based instruction promotes motivational behaviors through features such as text, animation, sound, graphics and video.;This pretest-posttest control group study assessed the effectiveness of a computer-based math intervention targeting the numbering skills, computation skills, and motivational levels for elementary students with a learning disability. The researcher conducted a one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in mathematics ability and/or motivation for learning mathematics between the students within the control group versus the treatment group. The treatment group participated in a nine week, computer-based intervention: Basic Picture Math (Hohlt, 2005) and Theme Park Math (Griggs, 2006). All participants were administered the Test of Early Mathematics Ability - Third Edition (TEMA-3) and student questionnaire both pre-treatment and post-treatment (Pro-ed Inc., 2006). Findings suggested that learning disabled students demonstrated an improvement in mathematics ability and motivational levels after utilizing the intervention. Contributions of the study include benefiting educational research in the areas of special education, technology, and mathematics. |
