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Physical Sciences and Mathematics

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Walden University

2017

Language minority students

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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Influence Of Language On The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics, Oneil St.Orbine Smith Jan 2017

The Influence Of Language On The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics, Oneil St.Orbine Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A majority of students at the local University College of Science and Education (UCSE, pseudonym) in Jamaica do not have the conceptual understanding of mathematical principles to function in a competitive and highly globalized marketplace. In 2013 and 2014, 88% and 92% of freshmen education students scored at the lowest 2 levels on the Mathematics Diagnostic Test (MDT). The instructional language at UCSE is Standard English (SE) whereas most students speak Jamaican dialect (JD). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that the language of instruction has on student achievement in math as measured by the MDT. …