Abstract
Recall of number facts is foundational to mental computation and essential to the development of numeracy. Typical approaches typically rely on drill, rote learning, and repetition, with little attention given to fostering number relationships and mental computation strategies. This project sought to explore the impacts of adopting a targeted strategies apporach to the teaching, learning, and assessment of number fact fluency.
Five Queensland state primary schools participated in the project, targeting Year 3 and Year 4 students (n = 930) across three school terms, with two additional schools serving as controls (n = 260). All students completed a Number Facts Quiz at the start and end of the project to enable pre- and post-test comparisons.
Project school teachers implemented a strategies-based approach grounded in number relationships and basic fact strategies, combined with engaging practice activities. Teachers allocated one hour per week to number fact development and retained flexibility to adapt the approach to their classroom contexts. Control school teachers continued delivering learning opportunities in line with standard curriculum requirements. Post-test results showed proficiency gains across all schools, but project schools improved substantially more. Year 3 project students recorded a 53% increase in addition and subtraction scores, compared to 28% for control students. At Year 4, project students showed a 119% increase in multiplication and division scores, compared to 52% for controls — more than double the improvement.
Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences between project and control schools at both year levels. Cohen's effect size calculations for matched classes indicated very high practical significance at Year 3 and extremely high practical significance at Year 4. Teachers also reported greater confidence in teaching number facts, and students expressed positive attitudes toward their learning.
These findings provide compelling evidence that a structured yet flexible and engaging strategies-based approach can produce meaningful gains in number fact fluency across primary school settings.