Poster #70 - An Investigation of Mathematical Language and Its Relation with Mathematics and Reading

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Introduction
Mathematics performance is predictive of later academic and career success (Jordan et al., 2009). Proficiency in mathematics requires the ability to manipulate numbers and symbols, as well as an understanding of mathematical language. This is not surprising, as the maturation of mathematics and reading skills are bidirectionally related across development (Duncan et al., 2007). However it is not just reading or language skills, but rather math-specific language skills that are predictive of mathematical performance. For example, Purpura and colleagues (2017) found that mathematical language mediates the relation between mathematics skills and reading skills. Current research indicates a relation between mathematical language with mathematics and reading skills in samples of pre-kindergarten (Purpura et al., 2017), kindergarten (Toll and van Luit, 2014), and first-grade students (Powell & Nelson, 2017). In the current study, we examine the concurrent and longitudinal relations between mathematical language and mathematics in kindergarten. Here, kindergarteners were assessed using a newly-developed mathematical language measure that was adapted from current measures designed for use with other grade levels.
Method
Participants were 117 kindergarten students who completed researcher-developed assessments of mathematics (Schoen et al.,2017), reading, and mathematical language in both Fall and Spring. The mathematical language assessment was adapted from Purpura and Logan's (2015) pre-kindergarten measure and Powell and Nelson’s (2017) first-grade measure. Descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated for all variables. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine whether concurrent measures of mathematics and mathematical language, measured in Fall, predict one other. Fall measurements of mathematics and mathematical language were analyzed to see if they predicted performance in the Spring. In order to isolate the unique relation between mathematics and mathematical language, Fall reading was used as a covariate in analyses.
Results
Descriptive statistics and correlations between all variables can be found in Table 1. All measures were significantly correlated with one other across both assessment times.
Regression analyses (see Table 2) indicated that Fall mathematics (p < .001) and reading scores (p = .02) both predicted Fall mathematical language scores. Similarly, both mathematical language (p < .001) and reading scores (p < .001) predicted concurrent mathematics scores. Interestingly, Spring mathematical language was predicted by both fall mathematics (p = .003) and reading scores (p < .001), but it was not predicted by Fall mathematical language scores (p = .23). Spring mathematics scores were predicted by Fall mathematics scores (p < .001), reading scores (p = .001), and mathematical language scores (p = .004).
Discussion
Our results provide evidence that mathematics, reading, and mathematical language performance are concurrently related in kindergarten. Few researchers have examined these relations in this age group (Toll & van Luit, 2014). Regression results reveal that early mathematical language is predictive of later mathematics performance but not later mathematical language, once accounting for other factors. Likewise, early mathematics performance predicted later mathematical language performance, as well as later mathematics performance. These findings provide support for bidirectional relations between mathematical language and mathematics performance over kindergarten, above and beyond any relations with reading.

Authors

• Amanda L McGraw, Florida State University
  Presenting Author

• Colleen M Ganley, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah Rannells Powell, The University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author

• David Purpura, Purdue University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Robert C Schoen, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christopher Schatschneider, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author