Christodoulou, Nia

Language barriers in mathematical learning

 

Thinking of studying Mathematics at an English-language university? If English is not your first language, then you might like to reconsider.

 

      In many international schools, mathematics and sciences in general are taught in English, as a way of improving students’ second language proficiency alongside their knowledge of the subject itself. However it has been underestimated how this may impede mathematical learning. It has been assumed that learning mathematics has little to do with the language in which it is taught. Students from all over the world choose to study mathematics at UK and USA universities, without being aware of the cost the language difference will have for them. Mathematics may not be an essay-based subject, and does not require a vocabulary as extensive as, say, Biology; yet the understanding of it is reliant on a certain degree of language knowledge. These university students know that they are at a disadvantage compared to native speakers, but they are not aware of the extent of this disadvantage.

 


Evidence

      When comparing groups of students who are being taught in English, school pupils who are English Language Learners (i.e, English is not their native language) score around 29% lower in mathematics than non-ELLs (i.e native speakers). These figures are taken from the U.S., where English is the most widely spoken everyday language (NCES, 2005). It makes sense that in other countries, where English is not the most common language, English language fluency and therefore mathematical ability (when taught in English) will be lower. This due to not only a difficulty in understanding the lessons, but also to difficulty in understanding the questions in written and verbal assessment (Abedi and Lord 2001). Having been taught in English, high-school students’ fluency predicts their understanding of mathematical problem-solving (Beal et al 2010). Contrary to belief, language is an important factor.

 


Why does language have such an effect on mathematical ability?

1.Semantic difficulties:

2. Syntax difficulties (understanding a concept is harder when the concept is made up of the relationship between two words):

3.Discourse difficulties:


      A study by Lim and Presmeg (2011) is representative of the issues faced when teaching mathematics to students for whom English is not their first language; it showed a substantial delay in covering the syllabus due to the need for the teacher to translate the mathematical terminology for the students. These delays will have an effect on the pupils’ mathematical ability in university.



What can be done?

 

      There is evidence that in Asian countries, the students themselves show a preference towards being taught in English when it comes to mathematics and sciences (Ismail et al 2010). In many countries, there is a demand for the sciences to be taught in English to equip the students for a career in business, so changing this practice is not a viable option. Elaine Horowitz (1988) and others showed that dwelling on the memorization of a language’s grammar and vocabulary negatively impacts language learning; this suggests that the multidisciplinary approach to teaching English through combining it with another subject (Mathematics in this case), is effective as a way to learn English, and may be worth preserving due to the overall improvements, despite lowered scores in the subject.

 

        With this in mind, what can be done to improve the prospects of the ELL pupil is to create a comfortable teaching atmosphere of communication, where any questions or requests for help are dealt with sensitively by the teacher. A study by Brenner in 1998 showed how it is not enough to merely introduce a group structure in a classroom; for effective learning, participation and enthusiasm must be cultivated within those groups. A teacher in this type of classroom must go the extra mile; since English is not the native tongue, “mathematized language” and the subsequent development of mathematical concepts (Ron 1999) will require more nurture and encouragement. A dialogue-driven model of education would be beneficial in this situation; the teacher’s teaching approach significantly impacts ELL’s opportunity to learn (Jamal and Herman 2010). A theory by Tan (2011) states that students’ language learning opportunities are limited when the teacher believes in him/herself as predominantly a content teacher or predominantly a language teacher. This indicates that it is important for the teacher to strike a balance between the two identities (Maths teacher and English teacher) in order to ensure optimal learning conditions in the multilingual classroom. There has been evidence of technology being effective in bridging the gap between the mathematical skill of learners and native speakers Lopez (2009).

 

        It appears that although the likelihood is low that a non- native speaker will completely overcome the language barrier of learning Mathematics in the English language, the teacher and the education system can play a definitive part in ensuring that pupils receive a well-explained grounding in the subject at school, as far as time restrictions allow. It is up to the teacher to implement the appropriate learning strategies in order to minimize the negative effects on the students of being taught in one’s non-native language.


      When the student continues into university, the teachers are not as sensitive to each student’s needs. Although English-speaking universities have such a multicultural mix of students, there is relatively little language support, as students are expected to fend for themselves after showing adequate english proficiency at entry. In subjects such as Mathematics, it rarely occurs to the teachers or lecturers that there could be a major language barrier in learning. It is important that they remember that ESL students are at a disadvantage and could benefit from peer education, contingent tutoring and other learning and teaching strategies to minimize this disadvantage.

 

 

Starter reference:

      If you were to only read one paper, I would recommend this one as it offers a comprehensive look at all the issues I have talked about.  “English Language Learners and Math Achievement: A study of Opportunity to Learn and Language Accommodation” by Abedi,J, Courtney, M, Leon, S, Kao, J, Azzam, T (2006).

A direct link to it is here 

 

 

References:

 

Beal, C.R., Adams, N,M, Cohens, P.R. (2010). Reading Proficiency and Mathematics problem solving by High School English Language Learners.Urban Education, 25(1), 58-74.

Brenner, M. E. (1998). Development of mathematical communication in problem solving groups by language minority students. Bilingual Research Journal 22, 214-244.

Cuevas, G. (1984). Mathematics learning in English as a second language. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 15, 134-144.

Horwitz, E.K. (1988) The beliefs about language learning of beginning university foreign language students. Modern Language Journal, 72(3), 283-294.

Ismail, W.R et al (2011). Students’ inclination towards English Language as a Medium of Instruction in the Teaching of Science and Mathematics. From the Congress on Teaching and Learning, Natl Univ Malaysia (UKM). Published in the book series: Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol 18.

Jamal,A, and Herman, J, (2010) Assessing English language Learners’ opportunity to learn mathematics: Issues and Limitations. Teachers College Record, vol 112 (3) 723-746

Jamal, A., and Lord, C. (2001). The language factor in mathematics tests. Applied Measurement in Education, 14 (3), 219-234.

Lim, C.S., and Presmeg, N (2011). Teaching Mathematics in two languages: A teaching dilemma of Malaysian Chinese primary schools.

Lopez, O (2009). The Digital learning Classroom: Improving English Language Learners’ academic success in mathematics and reading using interactive whiteboard technology. Computers&Education, 54 (4), 901-915.

NCES (2005). National Center for education Statistics. (USA). http://nces.ed.gov

Ron, P. (1999). Spanish-English language issues in the mathematics classroom. In W. Secada, L. Ortiz-Franco, N. G. Hernandez, & Y. de la Cruz (Eds.), Changing the faces of mathematics: Perspectives on Latinos (pp. 22-33). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Tan, M (2011). Mathematics and Science teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding the teaching of language in content learning. Language Teaching Research, 15 (3), 325-342.

 

 

Further reading:

Adler, J. (2001). Teaching mathematics in multilingual classrooms. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers

Brinton, D. M., Snow, M. A., & Wesche, M.(2003). Content-based second language instruction (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor: Universityof Michigan Press.

Crandall, J. (Ed.). (1988). ESL through content area instruction: Mathematics, science, social studies. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Durkin, K., & Shire, B. (Eds.). (1991). Language in mathematical education. Buckingham. UK: Open University Press.

Mohan, B. (1986). Language and content.Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.

Moschkovich, J. (1996). Learning math in two languages. In L. Puig & A. Gutierrez (Eds.), Proceedings of 20th meeting of the international group for the psychology of mathematics education (Vol. 4, pp. 27–34). Valencia, Spain: University of Valencia.

Scarcella, R. (1990). Teaching language minority students in the multi-lingual classroom. London: Prentice Hall Regents