Number Line Strategies of Students with Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Students with General Learning Difficulties: Findings Through Eye Tracking

In many countries, the number line (NL) is an important tool in mathematics education to develop an understanding of numbers. However, students may have difficulties using the NL. To provide students showing NL difficulties with appropriate support, more research is needed on how these students interact with NLs. In this study, we investigated how three different groups of students located numbers on an NL: 20 fifth-grade students with general learning difficulties (LD) from a special school, and 60 fifth-grade students with mathematical learning difficulties (MD) from a school of general education, compared to 55 fifth-grade students without MD/LD. We analyzed students’ strategies based on qualitative analysis of eye-tracking videos and students’ error rates. We found that all students were generally able to solve the tasks correctly. Analyses of students’ strategies showed that the types of strategies used for locating numbers on an NL did not differ between students with LD, with MD, and without MD/LD. Differences were found in the frequency with which certain strategies were used, particularly for numbers between the midpoint and endpoint of the NL—indicating differences in the mathematical development regarding the flexible use of NL strategies between students with LD, with MD, and without MD/LD.