A Meta-Analysis of Mathematics Fact Fluency Interventions for Students With Mathematics Difficulties
Douglas, G. P., Myers, J. A., Mason, K. K., Powell, S. R., & Lariviere, D. O. · 2025
grade Cmeta-analysisindependentreplicated
Sample
35 group-design studies / 178 effect sizes
Population
K-12 students with math difficulties.
Design
First group-design-only fluency meta; robust variance estimation; measure-type breakdown coded but unreported; no maintenance synthesis.
Key findings
Fluency interventions average g=0.76 for MD students but with wild heterogeneity and weak word-problem transfer; no maintenance data. The average is aligned-measure inflated.
Genetic confound
Ability-selected samples.
Replication notes
Confirms the Fuchs/Powell direction at scale; heterogeneity unexplained; read against the standardized +0.34 benchmark.
DOI / URL
10.1177/00222194261424914
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math fact fluency, overall | g | 0.76 [0.46,1.06]; prediction interval -0.60 to 2.12 | mixed | end of treatment | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| Transfer to word problems | moderator | significantly smaller (beta=-0.66) — the narrowness finding again | mixed | end of treatment | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | near-transfer |
| Dosage | moderator | 30+ sessions > <10 sessions | mixed | end of treatment | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
Cited by
- Math-fact fluency and timed practice (and the anti-timed-test claims)strong supportconf: highgc: low