Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to footer
  • Student Login
  • Educator Login
Sign Up for Free
Frax color logo Frax white logo
Frax logo
  • About Frax
    • Explore Frax (Take a Tour)
    • Supporting All Students
    • Why Fractions Matter
    • Frax and Reflex: Better Together
    • Preparing Students for Algebra
    • Math Engagement Strategies
    • The Frax Experience
    • Testimonials
  • Research
    • The Impact of Frax on Student Achievement
    • The Research Behind Frax
  • Support
    • Professional Development
    • Help Center
    • Site Status
  • Resources
    • Educator Resource Hub
    • Success Stories
    • Insights
  • Get More Info
    • Sign Up for Free
    • Request Purchasing Info
    • Request a Demo
    • Request a Pilot
    • Contact Support
  • Login
    • Student Login
    • Educator Login
  • Sign Up for Free
fraction doodles
  • Home
  • The Research Behind Frax

The Research Behind Frax

Fractions are numbers, too! Frax’s teaching strategies are based on the latest educational research proven to help students build a deep conceptual understanding of fractions.

Founded on the latest educational research

National assessments consistently show that large numbers of students struggle with fractions from grade 3 onward, effectively reducing their academic and career opportunities. Fortunately, a growing body of academic research reveals strategies that actually work.

Focused on what works, a growing body of rigorous efficacy research shows that ExploreLearning Frax positively impacts student learning, and can build the foundational understanding of fractions students need for ongoing math success in just 13 hours.

Background geometric shapes and doodles Smiling students and Frax characters

Meet the Research Behind Frax

Adaptive and game-based, ExploreLearning Frax uses the latest evidence-based research and instructional methods to create a better way to learn fractions. Discover some of the innovative research behind Frax’s teaching methodology that helps increase student achievement and math confidence.

The Frax White Paper outlines the prominent keys to fractions mastery supported by research, including:

  • Extensive work with length models, including partitioning and iteration
  • Magnitude comparisons of fractions
  • Equivalence practice, including work with fractions greater than 1 and mixed numbers
  • Estimation of fractions on number lines
  • Relating fraction arithmetic to measurement models and number lines

Discover how Frax’s adaptive and game-based platform guides students to fractions mastery.

Read the White Paper  See the Frax Logic Model

Frax Whitepaper

Elementary students using Frax experienced significantly larger academic growth in math compared to non-users.

See our Impact Studies

What research says about fractions instruction

Explore some of the difficulties commonly associated with learning fractions in this summary from leading researchers in Putting Fractions Together (Braithwaite and Siegler. 2020, Journal of Educational Psychology).

Whole number bias

Numerous studies show that many students tend to think of fractions as two separate whole numbers rather than as a single number (Mack, 1995; Meert, Grégoire, & Noël, 2009; Ni & Zhou, 2005). This is called whole number bias and it leads to fundamental errors in comparing fractions, understanding fraction equivalence, and fraction arithmetic. It’s what causes students to claim that 2/9 > 1/2 because 2 > 1 and 9 > 2, that 9/18 is larger than 1/2, or that 3/5 +1/4 = 4/9. These and other difficulties with understanding individual fractions are why 50% of U.S. eighth graders were unable to put 5/9, 2/7, and 1/2 in order from least to greatest on a major national assessment (U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 2007).

Triangle shape and doodles

The centrality of magnitude

Vital to understanding fractions and fraction arithmetic is the ability to represent or reason about fraction magnitude (size). The previous examples of errors caused by whole number bias, such as 2/9 > 1/2 or 9/18 is larger than 1/2, are all also errors in understanding fraction magnitude. And an inaccurate understanding of individual fraction size hinders performance on fraction arithmetic by robbing the student of the ability to recognize unreasonable answers. For example, in one recent study (Braithwaite, Tian, & Siegler, 2018), U.S. middle school students asked to estimate sums of pairs of fractions on a number line were no more accurate than if they had simply marked the midpoint on the line for each answer. Even worse, a majority of answers were smaller than the students' own estimates of one or both of the numbers being summed. These results illustrate that when students don’t understand fraction magnitude, they are unable to do even the most basic reasoning about addition, the simplest of arithmetic operations. Due to these misconceptions, fractions are often where math “stops making sense” for students.

Square shape and doodles

The Integrated Theory of Numerical Development

The Integrated Theory of Numerical Development holds that “numerical development involves increasingly precise representation of the magnitudes of increasing ranges and types of numbers, including whole numbers and fractions” (Braithwaite & Siegler, 2020, p. 568). One of the most important predictions of the theory is that understanding numerical magnitudes is closely related to understanding arithmetic. This prediction has been supported by multiple studies showing a strong correlation between understanding magnitude and arithmetic for both whole numbers and fractions (Booth & Siegler, 2008; Byrnes & Wasik, 1991; Fuchs et al., 2010 Siegler et al., 2011). It has been further supported by experimental studies showing that interventions with a strong focus on fraction magnitude improve fraction arithmetic performance compared to traditional methods (Dyson et al., 2018; Fuchs et al., 2013), even as less instructional time is focused on the learning and practicing of arithmetic.

Hexagon shape and doodles

The Frax Difference: Research-Based Teaching Strategies

Frax delivers the latest research-proven instructional strategies in an adaptive, game-based learning format to create a better way to learn fractions.

A few of the key factors in Frax that make a difference:

Photo icon

In Frax, fractions are numbers first.


Throughout Frax, students learn that fractions are just like other numbers—they have predictable names and locations on the number line, and they can be compared to each other. Frax helps students develop an understanding of fraction magnitude (size), which in turn allows them to reason with and about fractions in various contexts. Students work extensively with length models and number lines to interpret, represent, compare, order, and estimate fractions. In doing so they overcome whole number bias and develop a strong understanding of fraction magnitude.


Puzzle piece icon

Frax is adaptive and individualized.


Adaptive technology responds to individual student performance to provide the right amount of support and challenge on their fractions journey. Students of all ability levels have early and ongoing success. In addition, the Frax online learning system consistently rewards students for both their effort and progress. Students come to understand that if they are willing to put in the work, they really can succeed in learning fractions.


game-icon

Frax is game-based.


Each Frax mission features space-themed activities, fun characters, music, and enticing visuals that help students stay engaged and build a strong conceptual understanding of fractions. Students are challenged to perform a variety of tasks that build their fractions skills in a wide range of engaging scenarios. The math games are supported by brief, just-in-time instruction, allowing students to learn largely by doing.
 

 Take a Tour



Student and number line

Everybody's Talking About Frax

“Frax is by far the best program I have seen for fractions. Even the kids who experience math challenges seem to ‘get’ fractions. Now, when any fraction related math comes up in our lessons, they all seem to know the correct answer!”

- Frax Teacher, Cloquet Independent School District 94, MN

"I use Frax in my classes. On our mid-year screener, my students outperformed the other 3rd grade classes that don’t use Frax. My two classes’ average point increase was double that of the other five classes."

- Frax Teacher, Liberty Hill Independent School District, TX

"My kids absolutely love Frax! Their abilities vary, but ALL my students feel success with Frax. They have a much better grasp on fractions overall and it has really made a difference in what we are able to do in class."

- Frax Teacher, Redwood Preparatory Charter School, CA

"My students are super sad that there are only 27 missions in Frax Sector 1. They are literally begging to do more fraction work! One student who usually struggles with math concepts completed all of the missions and is now getting A’s in math instead of C’s."

- Frax Teacher, Greenville Co School District, SC

"My students LOVE Frax! They now regularly say things like ‘Well I know that 1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2...’ or ‘I know that 3/6 = 1/2...’, which were not things they were saying before working on Frax. The improvement in their fraction fluency has been noticeable."

- Frax Teacher, Governor Wentworth Regional School District, NH

Take your own tour of Frax

Explore everything Frax has to offer with a free trial. Or contact us for a quote or demo.

Sign Up For Free Get a Quote
Hands Holding Mobile Device
Frax logo Brought to you by ExploreLearning

© 2025 ExploreLearning. All rights reserved. Frax is a registered trademark of ExploreLearning.

Other Products

Gizmos icon Reflex icon Science4Us icon
About Frax
  • Explore Frax (Take a Tour)
  • Supporting All Students
  • Why Fractions Matter
  • Frax and Reflex: Better Together
  • Preparing Students for Algebra
  • Math Engagement Strategies
  • The Frax Experience
  • Testimonials
Research
  • The Impact of Frax on Student Achievement
  • The Research Behind Frax
Support
  • Professional Development
  • Help Center
  • Site Status
Resources
  • Educator Resource Hub
  • Success Stories
  • Insights
Get More Info
  • Sign Up for Free
  • Request Purchasing Info
  • Request a Demo
  • Request a Pilot
  • Contact Support

Get Connected

  • Support Form
  • Toll-Free 866-882-4141
  • Local +1-434-293-7043
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Other Products

Gizmos icon Reflex icon Science4Us icon

© 2025 ExploreLearning. All rights reserved. Frax is a registered trademark of ExploreLearning.

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Sitemap