Comparison of the effects of computer-based practice and conceptual understanding interventions on mathematics fact retention and generalization

The authors' purpose was to determine the effects of computer-based practice and conceptual interventions on computational fluency and word-problem solving of fourth- and fifth-grade students with mathematics difficulties. A randomized pretest-posttest control group design found that students assigned to the computer-based practice intervention group outperformed students in the comparison group on the retention measure. Students assigned to the conceptual intervention did not outperform the comparison group on any of the outcome variables. Implications for instruction and interventions are discussed.