Language influence on solving arithmetic word problems

Abstract

Bilingualism is a phenomenon which has long since been part and parcel of Maltese society and bilingual education is something which is often regarded as the norm. The aim of this study was to explore whether language, that is, the use of Maltese or English, has an impact on solving mathematical word problems. The study was carried out with 30 children aged between 8 and 9 from the three sectors of local education; state, church and independent. The sample was made up of a mix of children whose first language was either Maltese or English. Each interview consisted of an informal conversation, the recalling and solving of two multi-levelled sets of word problems, one set in Maltese and another in English, as well as working out a computations sheet. The first language of each child was established through the initial part of the interview. This information was further developed through an unstructured interview with the class-teacher as well as the completion of a short questionnaire regarding language proficiency. The results attained in the sets of problems were compared to those attained in the computations sheet to explore whether language has an effect on solving problems. Furthermore the results obtained in the set of problems in the child's first language and that in their second were compared. The results indicated that word problems are more challenging than non-verbal computations due to the language component. In addition, when children were presented with problems in their first language they seemed to understand the problems better, thus choosing the correct operation to solve even the most difficult problems. Pupils who were not very proficient in their second language tended to translate the given word problem to their first language, at times leading to misinterpretations.