Examining Virtual Manipulatives for Teaching Computations With Fractions to Children With Mathematics Difficulty.

This article focuses on a study examining the effectiveness of virtual manipulatives paired with explicit instruction and a system of least prompts for teaching fraction computations to elementary students with mathematics difficulty (MD). Using a single-subject multiple probe design, three fifth-grade students with MD engaged with a virtual fraction tiles app alongside systematic teaching, resulting in improved accuracy, independence, and maintenance of fraction computation skills, including addition and subtraction with like and unlike denominators. Follow-up and generalization assessments showed sustained proficiency and successful transfer to abstract symbolic problem-solving without the technology. The study highlights virtual manipulatives as a promising instructional tool for young students with MD, while noting limitations such as small sample size and brief intervention duration, and calls for further research on their use for higher-order fraction problem-solving and broader populations.