L2 English and Culture as Factors in College Math Achievement
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| Title: | L2 English and Culture as Factors in College Math Achievement |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jiachen Gong (ORCID |
| Source: | Grantee Submission. 2025. |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 7 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Institute of Education Sciences (ED) Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) |
| Contract Number: | R305N210041 |
| Document Type: | Speeches/Meeting Papers Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Students, Mathematics Achievement, Asians, Indians, Chinese, Language of Instruction, Mathematics Instruction, Native Language, English, Correlation, Student Characteristics, North Americans, Ethnic Groups, State Universities, College Mathematics, Undergraduate Students, Grades (Scholastic) |
| DOI: | 10.1145/3698205.3733957 |
| Abstract: | Literacy and mathematics have been shown to be related to each other across languages, ages, and levels of proficiency (e.g., [5, 11, 6, 19, 29, 35, 39, 43, 46, 49, 53, 57]). More specifically, math instruction is further complicated and becomes more difficult when occurring in a non-native language of instruction (e.g., [2, 8, 16, 18, 20, 31, 41, 50]). In this paper, we perform a linear mixed-effects regression analysis on large-scale institutional student data to test the impact of a non-native, and in some cases -- new, language of instruction on students' success as measured by course grades. Specifically, we compare the relationship between achievement in math and English classes for Chinese international students (who previously received math instruction in Chinese dialects), relative to Indian international students (who previously received math instruction in English), relative to a baseline of American students of varying ethnic backgrounds, who have previously received math instruction in English, and for many of whom it is a native language. Findings show that language barriers do not impede international students' math achievement. Future work should further characterize the factors that contribute to students' math achievement, overcoming any limitations that may be posed by language barriers. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings of the Twelfth ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale (L@S '25), July 21-23, 2025, Palermo, Italy," ACM, 2025, pp. 381-386.] |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED674560 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Literacy and mathematics have been shown to be related to each other across languages, ages, and levels of proficiency (e.g., [5, 11, 6, 19, 29, 35, 39, 43, 46, 49, 53, 57]). More specifically, math instruction is further complicated and becomes more difficult when occurring in a non-native language of instruction (e.g., [2, 8, 16, 18, 20, 31, 41, 50]). In this paper, we perform a linear mixed-effects regression analysis on large-scale institutional student data to test the impact of a non-native, and in some cases -- new, language of instruction on students' success as measured by course grades. Specifically, we compare the relationship between achievement in math and English classes for Chinese international students (who previously received math instruction in Chinese dialects), relative to Indian international students (who previously received math instruction in English), relative to a baseline of American students of varying ethnic backgrounds, who have previously received math instruction in English, and for many of whom it is a native language. Findings show that language barriers do not impede international students' math achievement. Future work should further characterize the factors that contribute to students' math achievement, overcoming any limitations that may be posed by language barriers. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings of the Twelfth ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale (L@S '25), July 21-23, 2025, Palermo, Italy," ACM, 2025, pp. 381-386.] |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1145/3698205.3733957 |
