Stop and Think: Learning Counterintuitive Concepts

About the study

Stop and Think is a computer programme, developed by academics at Birkbeck, University of London and IOE (UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society), which aims to improve pupils’ ability to adapt to counterintuitive concepts in maths and science. It trains pupils to inhibit their initial, intuitive responses to questions surrounding such concepts and give slower, more reflective answers instead. The programme targets Year 3 (ages seven to eight) and Year 5 (ages nine to ten) pupils, with content aligned to the national curriculum.

Findings

The effectiveness trial largely replicated the findings of the efficacy trial. For pupils eligible for FSM in Stop and Think schools made no additional months’ progress in maths attainment compared to similar pupils in control schools. All pupils receiving Stop and Think made no additional months’ progress in maths attainment, compared to pupils receiving teaching as usual. For science, a secondary outcome, all pupils made two additional months’ progress on average. FSM-eligible pupils made one additional month’s progress compared to FSM-eligible pupils receiving teaching as usual, however, this latter result has high statistical uncertainty.

The results suggest that while Stop and Think has some positive effects on science attainment, its impact on maths attainment is less clear, particularly for FSM-eligible pupils. The programme largely took place as intended, with most participating teachers delivering the 30 intervention sessions. However, due to scheduling and staffing issues, some teachers could not always follow the delivery model. The implementation evaluation also revealed that some teachers and pupils found the maths content easier compared to the science content. This may have limited pupils’ opportunities to effectively practice the ’stop and think’ technique in maths, potentially explaining the differential impact between the two subjects. Some teachers did however report that Stop and Think particularly benefitted pupils with SEND and EAL.

Methodology

This effectiveness trial involved 173 primary schools across England – a total of 14,718 pupils. Schools were randomly assigned to have either Year 3 or Year 5 pupils receive Stop and Think while the other year group continued with ‘business as usual’. The evaluation used a two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial design to assess the impact on pupil maths and science attainment. The primary outcome was maths attainment among Year 3 and Year 5 pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM), measured using progress tests by GL Assessment. Secondary outcomes included maths and science attainment for all pupils, and the prevalence of common misconceptions. The impact evaluation was accompanied by an integrated implementation and process evaluation (IPE) design. The trial ran from October 2022 to September 2023, having faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic after its initial start in July 2020.