Experience With Multiple Language Directionalities Supports Children’s Learning About The Equal Sign

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Language, Communication

Abstract

Multilingual children comprise the fastest growing demographic group in U.S. public schools, yet they struggle with math instruction (García et al., 2008; Menken et al., 2012). This research focused on children’s understanding of mathematical equivalence (understanding the meaning of the equal sign), a critical pre-algebra concept. Roughly 80% of U.S. 7-11 year-olds misunderstand the equal sign, often interpreting the equal sign as an operational symbol meaning “add up all the numbers”, rather than a relational symbol meaning “same as”. This is in contrast to only ~10% of children in China who hold an operational conception. The prevalence of the operational misconception in the U.S. is rooted math instruction that emphasizes problems in a traditional format with addition going from left to right with a blank at the end (i.e., a + b =__).

We asked whether Language directionality, which is associated with the spatial-temporal order of imagined events (Dephane et al., 2019; Maass, & Russo, 2003; Zebian,2005), influences learning about equal sign. We reasoned that multilingual children who speak and read both a left-to-right (LtR; e.g., English) AND a right-to-left language (RtL; e.g., Arabic) would be more likely to benefit from equal sign instruction than multilinguals who speak and read two or more left-to-right languages (e.g., English and Spanish). Two directions might allow for consideration of both sides of an equation and attention to the equal sign.

Our research examined 42 multilingual English-speaking second to fifth graders. Twenty-five children spoke and read 2 or more LtR languages (LtR-Only) and 17 children spoke and read at least one RtL language in addition to English (LtR+RtL). We recruited children via online flyers, social media, and snowball sampling. Overall, children in our sample represented 19 different written languages. Children participated in an online (via Zoom) pretest-instruction-posttest protocol designed to teach the meaning of the equal sign. Both the pretest and posttest contained 12 unique mathematical equivalence problems with operations on both sides of the equal sign (e.g., 3+4+5 =__+5). A previously validated instructional video (Koumoutsakis et al., 2016) emphasized that the problem solving goal for mathematical equivalence problems was to make both sides of the equation equal, thus highlighting the concept underlying the equal sign. Learning was operationalized by the increase in correct math solutions from the pretest to the posttest. Note, we restricted analyses to students who were not a ceiling during pretest (i.e., correctly answering 9 or more questions).

Figure 1 shows that LtR+RtL multilingual students learned more from instruction than LtR-Only multilingual students (test x multilingual type interaction, p = .026). We suggest this learning difference emerges from experience with multiple language directionalities. That is, reading and writing from both directions likely promotes the encoding of both sides of an equation. Our results highlight the under-researched link between language and math understanding, and further suggest that being multilingual may support math learning if the languages represent two directions. Implications for instruction and educational equity will be discussed.

Authors

• Princess Maleeha Chughtai, Northeastern Illinois University
  Presenting Author

• Dominique Giambalvo, Northeastern Illinois University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kimberly P Bruckman, Northeastern Illinois University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Usaid Mahmud, Northeastern Illinois University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ruth Breckinridge Church, Northeastern Illinois University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Andrew Young, Northeastern Illinois University
  Non-Presenting Author