Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Exploring ESL students’ understanding of mathematics in the early years: factors that make a difference

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Mathematics Education Research Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Students living in disadvantaged contexts and whose second language is English (ESL) are at risk of not succeeding in school mathematics. It has been internationally recognised that students’ socioeconomic background and their achievements in mathematics is more pronounced for Australian students (Thomson et al. 2011). This gap is even more prominent for students who also have English as their second language (ESL). This paper explores the impact of the representations, oral language and engagement in mathematics (RoleM) learning experiences on ESL students’ performance in mathematics in the early years (foundation–year 2). All students participating in the study are from disadvantaged contexts (n = 461). The sample comprised 328 students who identified themselves as having English as a second language (ESL) and 133 mainstream students. Pre- and post-tests were conducted at the commencement and completion of each school year. All students demonstrated a significant improvement on their post-test scores, with ESL students displaying greater gains than the mainstream students. Additionally, students’ results were meeting norm-referenced expectations for students of the same age. A hypothesised taxonomy was developed to further investigate which types of test items foundation ESL students displayed greatest gains. ESL students again outperformed the mainstream cohort on all levels of test categorisation, including questions that were linguistically and conceptually challenging for foundation students.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adebi, J., & Lord, C. (2001). The language factor in mathematics tests. Applied Measurement in Education, 14, 219–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adler, J. (1996). Secondary teachers’ knowledge of the dynamics of teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2011). Census of population and housing. Canberra: ABS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Australian Council for Educational Research. (2010). PATMaths: progressive achievement tests in mathematics (3rd ed.). Hawthorn, VIC: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Australian Council of Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2013). My school. Retrieved from http://www.myschool.edu.au/

  • Baturo, A., Cooper, T. J., Michaelson, M., & Stevenson, J. (2008). Using national numeracy testing to benefit Indigenous students: case studies of teachers taking back control of outcomes. In M. Goos, R. Brown, & K. Makar (Eds.), Navigating currents and charting directions (Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Brisbane (pp. 59–66). Brisbane, Queensland: MERGA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bautista, D., & Mulligan, J. T. (2010). Why do disadvantaged Filipino children find word problems in English difficult? In L. Sparrow, B. Kissane, & C. Hurst (Eds.), Shaping the future of mathematics education (Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Fremantle (pp. 69–76). Fremantle: MERGA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boaler, J. O., & Staples, M. (2008). Creating mathematical futures through an equitable teaching approach: the case of railside school. Teachers College Record, 110(3), 608–645.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bose, A., & Choudhury, M. (2010). Language negotiation in a multilingual mathematics classroom: an analysis. In L. Sparrow, B. Kissane, & C. Hurst (Eds.), Shaping the future of mathematics education (Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Fremantle (pp. 93–100). Fremantle: MERGA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns, R. B. (2000). Introduction to research methods. NSW: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, D. M., Sullivan, P., Cheeseman, J., & Clarke, B. (2000). The early numeracy research project: developing a framework for describing early numeracy learning. In J. Bana & A. Chapman (Eds.), Mathematics education beyond 2000 (Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Fremantle (pp. 180–187). Fremantle: MERGA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleveland, W. S., & McGill, R. (1984). Graphical perception: theory, experimentation, and application to the development of graphical methods. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 79(387), 531–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doig, B., & de Lemos, M. (2000). I can do maths. Melbourne: ACER Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Education Queensland. (2007). ESL handbook for schools. Retrieved from: http://education.qld.gov.au/studentservices/inclusive/cultural/esl/docs/schoolseslhandbook2006–07.pdf.

  • Fernandes, A. (2011). Mathematics pre-service teachers learning about English language learners through task-based interviews. In J. Clark, B. Kissane, J. Mousley, T. Spencer, & S. Thornton (Eds.), Mathematics: traditions and [new] practices (Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia and the 23rd biennial conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, Alice Springs (pp. 235–243). Adelaide: AAMT & MERGA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galligan, L. (1997). Relational word problems: a cross-cultural comparison. In A. Begg (Ed.), People in mathematics education (Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Rotorua (pp. 177–183). Rotorua: MERGA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia, E., & Cuellar, D. (2006). Who are these linguistically and culturally diverse students? Teachers College Record, 108(11), 220–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geiger, V., Goos, M., & Dole, S. (2011). Trajectories into professional learning in numeracy teaching. In J. Clarke, B. Kissane, J. Mousely, T. Spencer, & S. Thornton (Eds.), Traditions and (new) practices (Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Alice Springs, NT (pp. 297–305). Alice Springs: MERGA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldenberg, C. (2008). Teaching English language learners. American Educator, (8–44). Retrieved from http://old.dmps.k12.ia.us/programs/7researcharticle.pdf.

  • Goldin, G. (2002). Representation in mathematical learning and problem solving. In L. D. English (Ed.), Handbook of international research in mathematics education (pp. 197–218). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldin, G., & Kaput, J. (1996). A joint perspective on the idea of representations in learning and doing mathematics. In S. P. Leslie & N. Pearla (Eds.), Theories of mathematical learning. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonski, D., Boston, K., Greiner, K., Lawrence, C., Scales, B., & Tannock, P. (2011). Review of funding for schooling—final report. Canberra: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halliday, M. A. K. (1978). Sociolinguistics aspects of mathematical education. In M. Halliday (Ed.), The social interpretation of language and meaning (pp. 194–204). London: University Park.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta analyses relating to achievement. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janzen, J. (2008). Teaching English language learners in the content areas. Review of Educational Research, 78(4), 1010–1038. doi:10.3102/0034654308325580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowrie, T., & Diezmann, C. M. (2007). Solving graphics problems: student performance in the junior grade. Journal of Educational Research, 100(6), 369–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowrie, T., Diezmann, C. M., & Logan, T. (2012). A framework for mathematics graphical tasks: the influence of the graphic element on student sense making. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 24(2), 169–187. doi:10.1007/s13394-012-0036-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mackinlay, J. (1999). Automating the design of graphical presentations of relational information. In S. K. Card, J. D. Mackinlay, & B. Schneiderman (Eds.), Readings in information visualization: using vision to think (pp. 66–81). San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martiniello, M. (2008). Math word problems. Harvard Educational Review, 78(2), 333–369.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, S., Warren, E., & DeVries, E. (2011). Refocusing on oral language and rich representations to develop the early mathematical understandings of Indigenous students. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 40(1), 9–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moschkovich, J. (2002). A situated and sociocultural perspective on bilingual mathematics learners. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 4(2–3), 189–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2013). PISA 2012 Assessment and analytical framework: Mathematics, reading, science, problem solving and financial literacy. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264190511-en.

  • Okamoto, Y., & Case, R. (1996). Exploring the microstructure of children’s central conceptual structures in the domain of number. Monographs of the Society of Research in Child Development, 61, 27–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettit, S. K. (2011). Factors influencing middle school mathematics teachers’: beliefs about ELLs in mainstream classrooms. Issues in the Undergraduate Mathematics Preparation of School Teachers, 5.

  • Planas, N., & Civil, M. (2013). Language-as-a-resource and language-as-political: tensions in the bilingual mathematics classroom. Mathematics Education Research Journal. doi:10.1007/s13394-013-0075-6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarama, J., & Clements, D. H. (2009). Early childhood mathematics education research: learning trajectories for young students. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schleiger, H., & Gough, J. (2001). Diagnostic mathematical tasks. Sydney: UNSW Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schleppegrell, M. J. (2007). The linguistic challenges of mathematics teaching and learning: a research review. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 23(2), 139–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Setati, M. (2005). Learning and teaching mathematics in a primary multilingual classroom. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 36(5), 447–466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Setati, M. (2008). Access to mathematics versus access to the language of power: the struggle in multilingual mathematics classrooms. South African Journal of Education, 28, 103–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sfard, A. (1998). On two metaphors for learning and the dangers of choosing one. Educational Researcher, 27, 4–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaftel, J., Belton-Kocher, E., Glasnapp, D., & Poggio, J. (2006). The impact of language characteristics in mathematics test items on the performance of English language learners and students with disabilities. Educational Assessment, 11(2), 105–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smart, D., Sanson, A., Baxter, J., Edwards, B., & Hayes, A. (2008). Home-to-school transitions for financially disadvantaged children: final report. Sydney: The Smith Family.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solano-Flores, G., & Trumbull, E. (2003). Examining language in context: the need for new research and practice paradigms. Educational Researcher, 2(32), 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spanos, G., Rhodes, N. C., Dale, T. C., & Crandall, J. (1988). Linguistic features of mathematical problem solving: insights and applications. In R. R. Cocking & J. P. Mestre (Eds.), Linguistic and cultural differences on learning mathematics (pp. 221–240). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, S., De Bortoli, L., Nicholas, M., Hillman, K., & Buckley, S. (2011). Challenges for Australian education: results from PISA 2009: the PISA 2009 assessment of students’ reading, mathematical and scientific literacy. Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tindal, G., Anderson, L., Helwig, R., Miller, S., & Glasgow, A. (2000). Accommodating students with learning disabilities on math tests using language simplification. Eugene: University of Oregon Research, Consultation, and Teaching Program.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valdés, G. (1999). The world outside and inside schools: language and immigrant children. Educational Researcher, 27(6), 4–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valle, M. S., Waxman, H. C., Diaz, Z., & Padrón, Y. N. (2013). Classroom instruction and the mathematics achievement of non-English learners and English learners. The Journal of Educational Research, 106(3), 173–182. doi:10.1080/00220671.2012.687789.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, E., & DeVries, E. (2009). Young Australian Indigenous students’ engagement with numeracy: actions that assist to bridge the gap. Australian Journal of Education, 53(2), 159–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, E., & Miller, J. (2010). Exploring four year old Indigenous students’ ability to pattern. International Research in Early Childhood Education, 1(2), 42–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren, E., & Miller, J. (2013). Young Australian Indigenous students’ effective engagement in mathematics. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 25(1), 151–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, E., & Quine, J. (2013). Enhancing teacher professional development for early years mathematics teachers working in disadvantaged contexts. In L. English & J. Mulligan (Eds.), Reconceptualizing early mathematics learning: advanced series in mathematics education (pp. 283–308). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, E., Young, J., & DeVries, E. (2008). The impact of early numeracy engagement on 4 year old Indigenous students. Australian Journal of Early Childhood Education, 33(4), 2–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, P., & Anderson, J. (2011). Teachers’ use of national test data to focus numeracy instruction. In J. Clark, B. Kissane, J. Mousley, T. Spencer, & S. Thornton (Eds.), Mathematics: Traditions and [new] practices (Proceedings of the 23rd biennial conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers Inc. and the 34th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia Inc., Vol. 2, pp. 777–785). Adelaide, SA: AAMT & MERGA.

  • Wong-Fillmore, L. (1982). Language minority students and school participation: what kind of English is needed? Journal of Education, 164(2), 143–156.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Catholic University, PO Box 456, Virginia, QLD, 4014, Australia

    Jodie Miller & Elizabeth Warren

Authors
  1. Jodie Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Elizabeth Warren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jodie Miller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Miller, J., Warren, E. Exploring ESL students’ understanding of mathematics in the early years: factors that make a difference. Math Ed Res J 26, 791–810 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-014-0121-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-014-0121-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation