Making meaning, doing math: high school English learners, student-led discussion, and math tracking

• Published in: International multilingual research journal 2021, Vol.15 (1), p.82-103
• Main Authors: Callahan, Rebecca M., Humphries, Melissa, Buontempo, Jenny
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Achievement Tests; Advanced Courses; Comparative Analysis; Constructivism (Learning); Correlation; Course Content; Disproportionate Representation; EL Pedagogy; English as a second language; English Language Learners; English learners; Foreign Countries; Grade Point Average; Group Discussion; High school; High School Students; International Assessment; Language Proficiency; leveled course-taking; Limited English proficiency; Longitudinal Studies; mathematics; Mathematics Achievement; Mathematics education; Mathematics Instruction; Native Speakers; Problem Solving; secondary; Secondary education; Secondary School Students; Student Attitudes; Student Participation; Student Placement; Teaching Methods; track placement; Track System (Education); tracking
• ISSN: 1931-3152; 1931-3160; 1931-3160
• DOI: 10.1080/19313152.2020.1778957

Mathematics is not just memorized facts, but rather it is understanding how to approach and solve problems, and problem-solving requires linguistic proficiency. Too often, English learners' (ELs) relatively low math performance is dismissed due to their supposed "limited" English proficiency. Taking this perspective, a constructivist approach suggests that content-area discussions should improve EL students' math performance. To test this hypothesis, we use nationally representative data from the Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002 to examine the relationship between students' reported participation in math discussions and their 10th-grade math performance (GPA), considering both course placement and linguistic status. While we find reported participation in student-led discussion to be positively associated with math performance for all students, we also find that EL students report higher participation in student-led discussions only in low-level math placement. This pattern suggests that for EL students, participation in student-led discussion may actually be necessary to counteract the limiting nature of low-track placement. We argue that although EL students appear to benefit from student-led discussions in these contexts, until school systems begin to address the overrepresentation of EL students in low-level coursework, instructional experiences alone will do little to improve their overall achievement.