Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article

Effects of a Realistic Mathematics Education-Based Tablet Intervention on Second-Grade Addition Skills

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Submitted   Nov 6, 2025
Published   Jan 30, 2026
Issue    Vol 6 No 1 (2026)
DOI   10.25082/AMLER.2026.01.007

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Emmanouil Skordialos corresponding author
Department of Pedagogy and Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
George Baralis
Department of Pedagogy and Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Nicholas Zaranis
Department of Preschool Education, University of Crete, Rethymno, Greece

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of a didactic intervention utilizing a custom-developed tablet application, grounded in Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) principles, on second-grade students' addition skills (numbers up to 100). A quasi-experimental design with pre-test/post-test control group structure was employed. The sample consisted of 189 second-grade students (aged 6.5-7.5 years) from four public primary schools in Attica, Greece, during the 2022-2023 school year. Participants were assigned to either an experimental group (N = 96), receiving the RME-based tablet intervention for five weeks, or a control group (N = 93), receiving traditional instruction. Mathematical proficiency was assessed using an adapted version of the Test of Early Mathematics Ability, Third Edition (TEMA-3). Results from paired samples t-tests revealed significant improvements from pre-test to post-test for both the experimental group and control group on overall mathematics scores. However, a Mixed Repeated Measures ANOVA demonstrated a significant Time × Group interaction effect, indicating that the experimental group's improvement significantly exceeded that of the control group. These findings suggest that integrating RME principles with custom-designed tablet applications can substantially enhance young learners' mathematical understanding.

Keywords
Realistic Mathematics Education, tablet-based learning, addition skills, primary education, educational technology

Article Details

How to Cite
Skordialos, E., Baralis, G., & Zaranis, N. (2026). Effects of a Realistic Mathematics Education-Based Tablet Intervention on Second-Grade Addition Skills. Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research, 6(1), 1730-1741. https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2026.01.007
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