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Abstract :
[en] Recent research has shown that mathematical language is a central predictor of mathematical abilities, but these findings mostly rely on linguistically rather homogenous samples. However, numerous studies have outpointed the importance of proficiency in the teaching language in multilingual contexts. In Luxembourg, for example, most students do not speak the language of math instruction at home (i.e., second-language learners), which may impact their school performance. Therefore, we aimed at investigating the link between mathematical language and basic numerical and arithmetic skills in linguistically diverse elementary-school children, while accounting for general language skills. Mathematical and general language were assessed through self-developed receptive vocabulary measures, and eleven different tasks were elaborated to assess children’s basic numerical and arithmetic performance. Further measures included demographics (language background, socioeconomic status, age, gender) and rapid automatized naming. We collected data on 537 third-grade children in Luxembourg, whereof 57% were second-language learners. Regression analyses revealed that mathematical language significantly contributed to both basic numerical and arithmetic performance, while general language was a significant predictor only for basic numerical performance. Moreover, second-language learners, compared to their peers, had significantly lower outcomes on basic numerical, but not on arithmetic tasks. Results of a mediation analysis indicated that mathematical and general language significantly explained the observed performance gaps. These findings highlight the importance of mathematical language skills in basic numerical and arithmetic task performance in elementary-school children with different language backgrounds. Thus, mathematical language trainings may potentially foster understanding and enhance performances in mathematics, especially in linguistically heterogeneous education contexts.
