The effectiveness of concrete-representational-abstract teaching strategy on basic addition facts skills of students with intellectual disabilities

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effectiveness of the concrete-representational-abstract teaching strategy in teaching basic addition facts to students with intellectual disabilities. Besides, it was also aimed to determine if the subjects could maintain the acquired basic addition skill one and two weeks after the training sessions were completed and whether the subjects could generalize the acquired skill to the commutative property of addition. Also, the opinions of teachers of the subjects regarding the social importance and effects of the study was aimed to be investigated. A girl and two boys aged between 8 and 11 years, who were trained at a special education school participated in the research. In this study, multiple probe design with probe trials across subject which is one of the single subject design, was used. The study findings were analyzed by visual analysis and effect size. The findings of the study showed that the concrete-representational-abstract teaching strategy was effective in teaching the basic addition facts. In addition, all the subjects continued to perform one and two weeks after the end of the study and generalized to commutative property of addition. When the social validity findings obtained from the teachers of the subjects participating in the study were examined; it seemed that the opinions on the use of the concrete-representational-abstract teaching strategy in teaching the basic addition facts to students with intellectual disabilities seemed to be positive.