Native language has an impact on math skills study finds
Research shows that children speaking English as the native language have weaker math skills compared to children who speak other languages like Chinese, Korean and Turkish.
Psychologists and educators are paying more attention to the impacts of a person's native language on learning math skills. Scientists linked weaker counting and arithmetic skills to confusing English word names, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The researchers found children who speak languages like Chinese, Korean and Turkish are ahead of their English speaking peers in learning numeracy, which is mathematical literacy. The difference can be attributed to the complexity of word names in English, which makes the essential step of learning numeracy more difficult. For example, the Chinese language has nine words for numbers. On the other hand, English has more than two dozen unique names for numbers. After the number 10 in Chinese, as well as Korean and other languages like Turkish, the next number, 11, can be translated as "ten-one." A similar concept is also used for the numbers bigger than 10, the Journal reports. This concept makes it easier for young children who are just in the early development of their abstract skills to comprehend the place value of numbers. It also nurtures the crucial understanding of the fact that the number system is based on units of ten, according to the Journal. While this difference may seem insignificant, it plays a substantial role in the development of a young brain and acquiring math skills. Dr. Fuson, a math curriculum author said that the disadvantage of English puts English-speaking children at a disadvantage. The numerous number names make them more likely to make mistakes when solving problems. He also said it drains their working memory capacity. The impact of native languages in learning math skills might explain some of the disparity between the mathematical aptitude test results of English speaking children and their non-English speaking peers.
The Journal notes there is more than just the native language at play in mathematical aptitude. For example,Chinese teachers are more involved in having students work on difficult problems. In the domestic sphere, Chinese children, guided and encouraged by their parents, are more engaged in daily math games and arithmetic facts.
