Four peer-reviewed studies.
Real evidence from real classrooms.

Fraction Ball started as a research program at UC Irvine, funded by $3.15M in grants, tested with over 1,000 students.

0.37-0.44 SD
Improvement over control
25 vs. 11
Percentile point gains
+0.30 SD
Increased hopefulness
-0.30 SD
Decreased boredom
10 of 12
Fraction subtests improved
97%
Latine research population
Journal of Educational Psychology Bustamante et al. 2022

25 vs. 11 percentile point gains in fraction understanding (treatment vs. control).

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Contemporary Educational Psychology Begolli et al. 2024

0.37-0.44 SD effect sizes across fraction subtests. Significant improvement on 10 of 12 rational number measures.

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Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Guo et al. 2024

Increased hopefulness (0.30 SD), decreased boredom (0.30 SD). Students with highest negative emotions showed the LARGEST improvement.

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Theory Into Practice Alvarez Vargas et al. 2023

Design-based implementation research methodology — documenting the teacher co-design process across iterative rounds.

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The Studies

What This Means for Your Classroom

Your students who struggle most with fractions will show the largest gains. Students who came in with the most negative attitudes toward math showed the biggest improvement. This isn't a product that only works for high-performers — it's designed to reach the kids who need it most.

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