Pathways to learning mathematics for students in French-immersion and English-instruction programs

Pathways to learning mathematics for students in French-immersion and English-instruction programs

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Title: 

Pathways to learning mathematics for students in French-immersion and English-instruction programs 

Authors: 

Chang Xu, Sabrina Di Lonardo Burr, Sheri-Lynn Skwarchuk, Heather Douglas, Anne Lafay, Helena Osana, Victoria Simms, Judith Wylie, Erin A Maloney, Jo-Anne LeFevre 

Journal and DOI: 

Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(6), 1321-1342. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000722 

Previous Research 

Three categories of cognitive skills contribute to early mathematics development: 

Quantitative – ability to determine exact quantities (e.g., counting or comparing numerical magnitudes) 

Working memory – ability to control, regulate, and maintain relevant information for mathematical tasks 

Linguistics – ability to apply vocabulary or phonological awareness (e.g., name numbers or write Arabic digits) 

What did we ask?  

How is language proficiency in English and French related to mathematics development for students in French-immersion (i.e., a significant portion of student’s classes are taken in French)?  

How did we test it?   

Students (7 to 10 years of age) enrolled in either English-instruction (i.e., learning mathematics in English; n = 92) or French-immersion (i.e., learning mathematics in French; n = 144) participated. We examined the relations between mathematical tasks that require linguistic skills (i.e., math problem-solving) in grade 2 and mathematics achievement in grade 2 and 3.  

What did we find? 

Students in French-immersion and English-instruction programs had similar math achievement. 

For French-immersion students, English language skills predicted performance on mathematical tasks that require oral language processing in English and French in grades 2 and 3. 

Interestingly, French-immersion students’ French language skills did not predict performance on mathematical tasks that require oral language processing in French or English in grades 2 and 3. 

That is, French-immersion students’ English-vocabulary skills, not their French-vocabulary skills, predicted their mathematics achievement in grade 2 and grade 3.  

Why is this important?   

To support students learning mathematics in a second language, educators must ensure that students develop proficiency in mathematics in their first language to support learning mathematical content in an additional language. 

Educators should also be aware of the additional processing demands required for students to understand content in another language.  

Brought to you by Dr. Erin Maloney’s Cognition and Emotion Lab at the University of Ottawa and the Language Learning and Math Achievement Project.