Zhang, D., Wang, Q., Ding, Y., & Liu, J. J. (2014). Testing accommodation or modification? The effects of integrated object representation on enhancing geometry performance in children with and without geometry difficulties . Journal of Learning Disabilities , 47 (6), 569–583. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219413507602

The effects of the accommodation, integrated object representation, were examined related to geometry assessment performance for students with learning disabilities. The accommodation supports students visually, using increased color contrast between geometric objects and their backgrounds.

Participants were 36 grades 3–5 students with geometry difficulties—both with disabilities (n=10) and without disabilities—and 82 grades 3–5 students without geometry difficulties (including 6 students with disabilities). Additional demographic data for participants from this large, rural public school in New Mexico (U.S.) were also reported, such as gender, race/ethnicity, specific grade level, and state math achievement data.

The participants all completed 15 geometry test items in both the standard testing condition and the condition using integrated object representation. State math assessment scores were also reported for participants.

Students with geometry difficulties scored significantly better, on average, when using integrated object representation in comparison with the standard testing condition. Students without geometry difficulties scored a significantly lower mean when using the accommodation, compared to when they did not use the accommodation. Additional analysis indicated that there was an interaction effect in the results, in that the students with geometry difficulties differentially benefited from the accommodation. Further, students with geometry difficulties who scored relatively lower than their peers (also with geometry difficulties) on the standard test also scored higher than those same peers when using integrated object representation. Limitations of the study were reported, and future research directions were suggested.