Efficacy of a mathematical structuring competence intervention for talented students: A randomized controlled field trial

Background: Mathematical structuring competence (MSC)—the ability to recognize, apply, and build patterns and structures—is a crucial component of mathematics education and an essential characteristic of mathematical talent. However, systematic approaches to fostering MSC, especially for talent promotion, are still lacking.

Aims: We evaluated the efficacy of a newly developed intervention for enhancing talented students' MSC as a primary outcome and their arithmetic performance and mathematics-related motivational dispositions as secondary outcomes. The intervention was conducted online and involved two core components: inquiry-based learning and mathematically rich pattern tasks.

Sample: We collected data from 104 talented 2nd to 5th graders (32 girls) participating in an extracurricular STEM enrichment program.

Methods: We used a randomized controlled field trial with repeated measures and a treated control group to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Multiple linear regression analyses were calculated to test for intervention effects.

Results: Students in the intervention group developed more sophisticated MSC than those in the control group (b = 0.46, p < .001). No differential intervention effects on MSC were found, indicating that all students, regardless of their prior knowledge, fluid intelligence, gender, or grade level, benefited equally from the intervention. The intervention did not significantly affect arithmetic performance or motivational dispositions.

Conclusions: The study showed that talented students' MSC can be promoted by combining inquiry-based learning with mathematically rich pattern tasks. Thus, our study enriches previous studies on MSC-related competencies in regular school settings and ultimately enhances knowledge on how to promote talented students' MSC.