“Math, I Don’t Get It”: An Exploratory Study on Verbalizing Mathematical Content by Students with Speech and Language Impairment, Students with Learning Disability, and Students Without Special Educational Needs

Abstract

Mathematics instruction, as any instruction, is based on communication, which comprises specialized vocabulary, everyday language and a more formal, sophisticated register acquired in educational settings. In order to fully participate, students need to be able to perform differentiated and extensive communicative acts. In the explorative, qualitative study presented here, the mathematical competencies, the stage of linguistic development, and the ability to verbalize mathematical content of students with language impairments (n = 11), students with learning disabilities (n = 15), and students without special educational needs (n = 12) were assessed using two standardized test procedures and so-called clinical interviews. The findings were systematized and analyzed using an inductively derived tripartite system of categories. The results of the three subgroups show group-specific differences in both mathematical and linguistic-communicative skills. The findings suggest that students with better mathematical skills tend to have better language skills as well. A theory-based survey and examination procedure was developed, which allows differentiating the complexity of the connections between mathematical and linguistic competencies of different target groups within the school context.