Mathematics performance and its relation to English language proficiency level of bilingual Arab university students

Abstract

Many universities in the Arab world are gradually becoming English medium universities in place of their traditional Arabic mediums. Therefore, students are now learning mathematics in English - a second language which the students are currently acquiring. Understandably, both the teachers and students usually experience some problems in teaching and learning mathematics due to these changes from their native language to English. This article investigates the relationship between language proficiency and mathematics performance among bilingual Arab university students. The finding in this study indicates that the students' proficiency levels in English are a factor affecting their performance in mathematics. However, we found a mixed response among student perceptions on whether the change of language of instruction from Arabic to English has any impact on their mathematics understanding and performance. The study confirmed the findings of many similar studies, and paves way for further investigation.