Effects of Linguistic Complexity and Math Difficulty on Word Problem Solving by English Learners

Abstract

Prior research suggests that linguistic complexity may impede mathemtics word problem solving by English Learners, but the results have been inconsistent. The present study employed an experimental design to investigate the effects of linguistic complexity and mathematics difficulty on word problem sovling by middle school English learners. Results were consistent with predictions from Cognitive Load Theory: Performance was poorer for word problems written in more complext language...