ERIC Number: EJ1469639
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Feb
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0938-8982
EISSN: EISSN-1540-5826
Available Date: 0000-00-00
A Meta-Analytic Review of the Concrete-Representational-Abstract Math Approach
Sara Ebner1; Mary K. MacDonald1; Paulina Grekov2; Kathleen B. Aspiranti1
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, v40 n1 p31-42 2025
The concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) approach is an instructional framework for teaching math wherein students move from using concrete materials to solve problems to using visual representations of the materials, and finally abstract concepts. This study provides a literature synthesis and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of the CRA approach as a math intervention. Thirty studies using single-case design methodologies were included. Descriptive analyses of the study variables are discussed. Results indicated a statistically significant overall Tau-BC effect size of 0.9965, 95% CI [0.9947, 0.9983], p < 0.0001. A meta-regression of eight potential moderator variables suggested that using a non-integrated CRA approach increased the overall effect size by 0.011, 95% CI [0.007, 0.015], p = 0.045. Implications of using the CRA approach for researchers and educators are discussed.
Descriptors: Meta Analysis, Mathematics Instruction, Teaching Methods, Abstract Reasoning, Problem Solving, Intervention, Instructional Effectiveness, Mathematical Concepts, Concept Formation, Effect Size, Kindergarten, Elementary Secondary Education, Databases
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; 2Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA