Exploring Mathematical Games as a Means of Supporting Computational Fluency

Fluency in mathematics has several implications for success in future mathematics courses, daily living skills, and future employment opportunities. The current single-case design study explored the effects of mathematics games on student multiplication or subtraction fluency. Three students with developmental disabilities completed the intervention in which they played a digital mathematical game for 10 minutes and researchers explored the effect on student fluency, operationalized as correct digits per minute (cdpm). While researchers were unable to determine a functional relation between the game and students’ cdpm, the three students who completed the study were successful in increasing their fluency and maintaining their fluency higher than baseline levels. Students reported they enjoyed playing the game and would rather play math games than complete worksheets.