The Role of General and Subject-specific Language Skills when Learning Mathematics in Elementary School

Stefan Ufer,Katrin Bochnik

doi:10.1007/s13138-020-00160-5

Stefan Ufer, Katrin Bochnik

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13138-020-00160-5

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Abstract

The role of skills in the language of instruction for mathematics learning is well established by longitudinal studies at the primary school level. Explanations for these relations lead to the question: are they mostly due to general, domain-overarching language skills, or does the command of subject-specific language registers play an important role? Integrating prior research threads, we propose two instruments to measure subject-specific language skills in mathematics: One measuring mathematical vocabulary, and one measuring mathematical text comprehension. We report on a longitudinal study with N = 237 German grade 3 students, which investigated the predictive value of these instruments beyond prior arithmetic skills, general language skills, and control variables such as general cognitive skills and socio-economic status on students’ later arithmetic skills. We applied a multidimensional assessment model to measure arithmetic skills. Apart from replicating the prominent role of general language skills found in earlier studies, our results indicate a substantial, additional role of subject-specific language skills for the development of mathematics skills. These relations could be identified for knowledge of mathematical vocabulary, as well as for mathematical text comprehension. The results indicate that fostering subject-specific language skills already at the primary school level is not only one of many goals of mathematics instruction, but is a core prerequisite to supporting mathematical skill acquisition.

Highlights

National and international studies have repeatedly demonstrated that mathematics skills are strongly correlated with students’ skills in the language of instruction
Explanations for these relations lead to the question: are they mostly due to general, domain-overarching language skills, or does the command of subject-specific language registers play an important role? Integrating prior research threads, we propose two instruments to measure subject-specific language skills in mathematics: One measuring mathematical vocabulary, and one measuring mathematical text comprehension
The results here largely reproduce the effects of language skills observed for the overall learning gain: Subject-specific language skills predict learning beyond general language skills and the other control variables

Summary

Introduction

National and international studies have repeatedly demonstrated that mathematics skills are strongly correlated with students’ skills in the language of instruction. Current research from different perspectives strives to understand this relation between language skills and mathematics learning. General education research has adopted a differentiated view on language skills to identify those facets of language skills which are important for learning processes, including mathematics learning (e.g. grammar, vocabulary, and listening comprehension: Paetsch et al 2015). The Role of General and Subject-specific Language Skills when Learning Mathematics in. Prediger and Wessel 2013), which must be mastered to construct meaning about mathematical concepts during instruction. This raises the question on the role of subject-specific language skills that go beyond mastering everyday language registers or more sophisticated demands of general academic language registers (Wessel and Erath 2018). While first promising attempts to conceptualise and operationalise mathematical language skills exist (Bochnik and Ufer 2016a; Schindler et al 2019), our knowledge about the relation of such subject-specific language skills to the learning of mathematics skills remains limited

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