The Verbal Component of Mathematical Problem Solving in Bilingual Contexts by Early Elementary Schoolers
Identificadores
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12020/1034ISSN: 2227-7390
DOI: doi.org/10.3390/math9050564
Fecha
2021-03-06Tipo de documento
articleÁrea/s de conocimiento
Ciencias de la EducaciónMateria/s Unesco
5312.04 EducaciónResumen
The main aim of the present study is to analyze the differences that may exist when students
address the resolution of verbal problems in their mother tongue and in the language of instruction
when these are different. We understand that knowing the type of verbal problems and
their semantic structure can be helpful for students’ contextual and mathematical understanding
and will allow teachers to improve instruction during the first years of elementary education in
bilingual schools specialized in the area of second language acquisition as well as in CLIL (Content
and Language Integrated Learning). This study shows how children, as they are acquiring a greater
command of the second language, show similar effectiveness to those students who work on mathematics
in their mother tongue. This transversal study was conducted on 169 bilinguals studying in
international schools. The sample was made up of 80 1st grade students (39 girls, mean age of 7.1
years and 41 boys, mean age of 7.3 years); and 89 2nd grade students (38 girls, mean age 8.2 years,
and 51 boys, mean age 8.2 years). The exploratory analyses let us show how 1st grade students
demonstrate lower effectiveness in solving problems when they do it in a second language, compared
to 2nd grade students whose effectiveness is higher in carrying them out. It is also relevant
that in first graders, the largest number of errors are found in the simplest tasks as students’ effectiveness
is less when they are taught in a second language, since it takes them longer to create effective
resolution models. This fact will allow us to reconsider appropriate strategies and interventions
when teaching mathematics in bilingual contexts.