Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Language Background in Mathematics Education

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education

Introduction

What does language background have to do with mathematics education? The term language background can be used to refer to the particular set of national, social, and domain-specific language varieties in which any individual or group of people has experience and expertise. In this entry, language background refers more particularly to the different languages that learners and teachers use. One of the challenges of contemporary globalized societies is that language diversity is itself increasingly diverse, and this matters in mathematics classrooms (Barwell 2016). The teaching and learning of mathematics depend fundamentally on language. Mathematics classrooms may feature discussion among students, lectures by the teacher, printed curriculum materials or textbooks, and writing on a blackboard or on a screen. If mathematics education is reliant on language, however, a question arises:

  • Do students’ or teachers’ language backgrounds have any impact on their learning or...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 699.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adler J (2001) Teaching mathematics in multilingual classrooms. Kluwer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin JL, Howson AG (1979) Language and mathematical education. Educ Stud Math 10:161–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barton B (2008) The language of mathematics: telling mathematical tales. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Barwell R (2003) Linguistic discrimination: issues for research in mathematics education. Learn Math 23(2):37–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Barwell R (ed) (2009) Mathematics in multilingual classrooms: global perspectives. Multilingual Matters, Bristol

    Google Scholar 

  • Barwell R (2016) Mathematics education, language and superdiversity. In: Halai A, Clarkson P (eds) Teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms: issues for policy, practice and teacher education. Sense, Rotterdam, pp 25–39

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Barwell R (2018) From language as a resource to sources of meaning in multilingual mathematics classrooms. J. Math Behavior, 50:155–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Barwell R, Clarkson P, Halai A, Kazima M, Moschkovich J et al (eds) (2016) Mathematics education and language diversity: the 21st ICMI study. Springer, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  • Barwell R, Moschkovich J, Setati Phakeng M (2017) Language diversity and mathematics: second language, bilingual, and multilingual learners. In: Cai J (ed) Compendium for research in mathematics education. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Reston, pp 583–606

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger A (2016) Learning mathematics bilingually: an integrated language and mathematics model (ILMM) of word problem-solving processes in English as a foreign language. In: Nikula T et al (eds) Conceptualising integration in CLIL and multilingual education. Multilingual Matters, Bristol, pp 73–100

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bournot-Trites M, Reeder K (2001) Interdependence revisited: mathematics achievement in an intensified French immersion program. Can Mod Lang Rev/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes 58:27–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chitera N (2011) Language of learning and teaching in schools: an issue for research in mathematics teacher education? J Math Teach Educ 14(3):231–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins J (2000) Language, power and pedagogy: bilingual children in the crossfire. Multilingual Matters, Clevedon

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Essien AA (2014) Examining opportunities for the development of interacting identities within pre-service teacher education mathematics classrooms. Perspect Educ 32(3):62–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Geiger V, Straesser R (2015) The challenge of publication for English non-dominant-language authors in mathematics education. For Learn Math 35(3):35–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Halai A, Clarkson P (eds) (2016) Teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms issues for policy, practice and teacher education. Sense, Rotterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Howie SJ (2003) Language and other background factors affecting secondary pupils’ performance in mathematics in South Africa. Afr J Res Math Sci Technol Educ 7:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moschkovich J (2007) Using two languages when learning mathematics. Educ Stud Math 64:121–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Planas N, Setati-Phakeng M (2014) On the process of gaining language as a resource in mathematics education. ZDM 46(6):883–893

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ríordáin MN, O’Donoghue J (2009) The relationship between performance on mathematical word problems and language proficiency for students learning through the medium of Irish. Educ Stud Math 71(1):43–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Secada WG (1992) Race, ethnicity, social class, language and achievement in mathematics. In: Grouws DA (ed) Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning. Macmillan, New York, pp 623–660

    Google Scholar 

  • Setati M (2005) Teaching mathematics in a primary multilingual classroom. J Res in Math Educ 36:447–466

    Google Scholar 

  • Setati M (2008) Access to mathematics versus access to the language of power: the struggle in multilingual mathematics classrooms. S Afr J Educ 28:103–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Setati M, Barwell R (eds) (2008) Teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms. Special Issue of Pythagoras 67

    Google Scholar 

  • Téllez K, Moschkovich J, Civil M (eds) (2011) Latinos/as and mathematics education. Information Age Publishers, Charlotte

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (1974) Interactions between linguistics and mathematics education: final report of the symposium sponsored by UNESCO, CEDO and ICMI. UNESCO, Nairobi. Available from unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0001/000149/014932eb.pdf. Accessed 27 Aug 2012

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Richard Barwell

Authors
  1. Richard Barwell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard Barwell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Centre for Mathematics Education, London South Bank University, London, UK

    Stephen Lerman

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Eva Jablonka

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Barwell, R. (2020). Language Background in Mathematics Education. In: Lerman, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15789-0_86

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation