Arithmetic Fact Fluency Supported by Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent students aged eight years developed their arithmetic fact fluency by using artificial intelligence to practice number combinations. The study compares the effects of three different ways of practicing number combinations: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Memorization (Mem), and Guided Learning (GL). The design was a split-plot factorial design with group as a between-subject factor and time (i.e., before and after a six-week intervention) as a within-subject factor. Pre- and post-test were performed to assess students’ fluency with respect to basic number combinations, i.e., addition, such as 3 + 4, 2 + 1, 6 + 3, etc. The results show that students developed their fluency significantly with respect to basic number combinations when practicing this skill with support of artificial intelligence. It seems that the technique is effective at analyzing and recommending content based on students’ learning patterns and what has worked best for similar students. The results therefore strengthen the findings of previous studies that artificial intelligence presents great opportunities to offer individual support to maximize learning. The results also show that practicing number combinations with artificial intelligence is more effective compared to practicing with a focus on memorization and guided learning.