Teaching Mathematics in English in Malaysia: Teachers' Beliefs on What Works for English Language Learners

• In Event: STEM Across an International Lens

Abstract

This study is an examination of Malaysian mathematic teachers’ beliefs about what works best when mathematics is taught in a second language. Sixty-seven randomly selected 4th, 5th, and 6th grade elementary mathematics teachers answered survey questions, participated in interviews, and wrote journal reflections over a period of one year. Data from classroom observations and content analyses from mathematics curriculum were also collected during the course of the study. ANOVA, regression analyses, and themes coding were used in data analysis. Teachers’ beliefs about being bilingual and using direct instruction were predictors for success in teaching mathematics in a second language, but teachers’ level of qualification was a weak predictor.

Authors

• Sham`ah Md-Yunus, Eastern Illinois University

• Joohi Lee, The University of Texas - Arlington