How Multilingual Students Translate Word Problems

This study investigated the extent to which students were able or not able to translate mathematics word problems to linear algebraic representations. A multilingual class of forty Grade 11 mathematics students at one secondary school in South Africa was given a word problem test and five students were subsequently interviewed based on the responses they had written. Qualitative analysis of data revealed that students committed more semantic than both syntactic and schematic errors, suggesting that their linguistic mastery of mathematical language was generally insufficient. The study also indicated that the sources of observed errors emanated from students’ lack of mathematical vocabulary, unfamiliarity with expository text structures, lack of symbol and syntax awareness, and limited metacognitive skills required in word problem solving.