Optimizing Assessment Thresholds of a Computer Gaming Intervention for Students with or at Risk for Mathematics Learning Disabilities: Accuracy and Response Time Trade-Offs

Students with mathematics learning disabilities often have difficulties in adding whole numbers. Such difficulties are evident in both response time and accuracy, but the relationship between accuracy and response time requires further consideration, especially in the context of technology-based interventions and assessments. In this article, we apply a novel approach using the drift-diffusion model to examine potential trade-offs and find balanced performance points that account for both accuracy and response time, using data from an efficacy trial of a mathematics technology gaming intervention for first-grade students with or at risk for learning disabilities. Results indicate that accuracy tends to increase as response time decreases, but only to a certain point. Practical implications include that educators should consider both accuracy and response time to intensify and individualize their instruction and take student background (i.e., gender, special education status, and English language status) into account. We suggest that developing technology-based mathematics interventions and assessments requires careful design and configuration to balance accuracy and response time, thereby enabling adaptive performance thresholds for better understanding and supporting student learning in early mathematical fluency.