Schema-Based Instruction (SBI)

Schema-Based Instruction (SBI) is a mathematics intervention designed to improve seventh-grade students' proportional problem solving. The intervention emphasizes the underlying mathematical structure of problems, uses schematic diagrams to represent information in problem text, provides explicit problem solving and metacognitive strategy instruction, and focuses on the flexible use of multiple solution strategies. SBI consists of two replacement units (Ratio/Proportion and Percent), each comprising ten 50-minute lessons delivered five days a week across six weeks. Teachers receive 16 hours of professional development before implementation and are provided with a detailed teacher guide, teaching materials (visual diagrams and problem solving checklists), and student materials (workbook and homework book). The intervention uses a four-step problem solving strategy (DISC: Discover the problem type, Identify information in the problem to represent in a diagram, Solve the problem, Check the solution) and encourages students to use multiple solution methods such as equivalent fractions, unit rate, and cross multiplication.