Challenges for Emirati university students in comprehending mathematical text and word problems
Journal Title: European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Year 2018, Vol 0, Issue 0
Abstract
The United Arab Emirates has been rapidly developing its educational institutions and trying to adopt a western system of higher education. The government has chosen English to be the medium of instruction in universities and thus has become a critical factor in student learning. In mathematics classes, it can be seen that students struggle to grasp concepts not just because of the actual content but also because of the language barrier. Language is intertwined with the multiple facets of mathematics education but one of the more salient areas is in comprehending mathematical text and problems. This paper attempts to summarize previous research findings that are related to this issue and describe problems faced by teachers using actual classroom cases. The conclusion of this paper outlines some tentative recommendations and a future research agenda to develop strategies to resolve these issues.
Authors and Affiliations
Mark Causapin| Mathematics and Statistics, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, mark.causapin@zu.ac.ae, Timothy Groombridge *| English and Writing, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, timothy.groombridge@zu.ac.ae
Introducing the anatomy of disciplinary discernment: an example from astronomy
Education is increasingly being framed by a competence mindset; the value of knowledge lies much more in competence performativity and innovation than in simply knowing. Reaching such competency in areas such as astron...
The mathematics teacher’s profession: the perspective of future
We present partial results of the design and implementation of a study program for the Mathematics Teacher Training. The research is developed in the light of the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic. This paper we ana...
Using a concept cartoon© method to address elementary school students’ ideas about natural phenomena
This study investigated the identification and subsequent development or modification of students´ ideas about scientific phenomena by teaching by concept cartoons© method. We found out ideas of students of the fourth gr...
Why not start with quarks? Teachers investigate a learning unit on the subatomic structure of matter with 12-year-olds
This paper describes the second in a series of studies exploring the acceptance of the subatomic structure of matter by 12-year-olds. The studies focus on a novel learning unit introducing an atomic model from electrons...
Question classification taxonomies as guides to formulating questions for use in chemistry classrooms
Teacher questions play an important role in facilitating classroom discourse. Using appropriate question types and proper questioning techniques help to create reflective- active learners. Teacher questions can elicit st...