The influence of teachers’ math instructional practices on English learners’ reading comprehension and math problem-solving performance in Spanish and English

ABSTRACT

We explored the role of three math instructional practices by teachers (explicit instruction, guided practice, peer interaction) in predicting current Spanish and English reading comprehension and later Spanish and English math problem-solving performance of English learners (ELs). In this study, math was taught in Spanish. We had 26 teachers and 319 Spanish-speaking ELs from dual language classrooms. Of concern was whether the teachers’ use of these three practices in the first year of the study yielded significant predictions in ELs’ Spanish and English reading comprehension in the current year and math problem-solving accuracy in the subsequent years. Our multilevel modeling results indicated that math skills could predict reading performance and that early calculation in Spanish and English significantly predicted later problem-solving performance. The results also indicated a trade-off regarding the language of instruction and math ability. Further, such instructional practices were more likely to benefit ELs without learning difficulties in math (LDM) than those with LDM. These findings suggest that when teachers use the three instructional practices in early years, these practices need to account for the language of instruction and the continuum of student abilities related to math in order to better improve ELs’ problem-solving accuracy in later years.

KEYWORDS:

• English learner
• bilingual teacher
• math
• reading
• Spanish
• English
• teaching principle

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was support by a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Research on Learning (award number 1660828) Sciences, awarded to Dr. H. Lee Swanson. This study does not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.

Notes on contributors

Jui-Teng Li

Dr. Jui-Teng Li is an Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation in College Access Partnerships at Appalachian State University. His professional background and quantitative research interests focus on: (a) cognitive biliteracy development in content area subjects; (b) curriculum reform and instructional design; (c) program evaluation and assessment; (d) pre-service and in-service bilingual/ESL/world language teacher education; and (e) college readiness.

Genesis D. Arizmendi

Dr. Genesis D. Arizmendi is a Provost Early Career Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, with appointments in Special Education and the Texas Center for Equity Promotion. She is a certified and licensed bilingual speech-language pathologist who has served students across the southwestern United States. Her research focuses on the intersection of cognition, language, and academics on learning disabilities in Spanish-English learning children, with the goal of improving assessment and intervention practices to remediate educational and health inequities in this community.

H. Lee Swanson

Dr. H. Lee Swanson is a Research Professor in the Department of Individual, Family, & Community at the University of New Mexico and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Riverside. He has been awarded many scientific research projects focusing on non-ELs' and ELs' language, math, and cognitive development. He also devotes his time to research on ELs at risk for reading and/or math learning difficulties.