the relationship of english proficiency and mathematics achievement€¦ · · 2013-01-15the...

The Relationship of English Proficiency and Mathematics Achievement

A.S. RAMBELY, R.R. AHMAD, N. MAJID & S.H. JAAMAN

School of Mathematical Sciences

Faculty of Science & Technology

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor

MALAYSIA

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract: - The study aims to investigate the relationship between English proficiency and mathematics

achievement. The sample of study is taken from a population of students from Faculty of Science & Technology

(FST), UKM (n = 118) taking into account grades and English proficiency test. Chi square analyses conducted to

test the significance of the relationship between two variables. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to

examine differences in mathematics achievement English proficiency. The results showed that good mastering of

English is needed to nurture and understand mathematics subject to achieve excellent results. Furthermore, low

English proficiency resulted in students experiencing a shortage in mathematics learning and obtained a lower

grade in a mathematics course.

Key-Words:- English proficiency, mathematics, teaching and learning, performance, thinking process, native

language, ESL students

1 Introduction

1.1 History of education In the days of British rule, the Malay school system

developed by the English only provided the Malay

population with their spelling, writing, and

mathematics skills, as well as health knowledge.

Education provided did not have the potential to be

extended because it was not recognized to be accepted

as a basis for further studies into secondary school.

Thus a series of revised education policy was done

before the era of independence until after

independence. In 1970 an educational reform has

occurred with the implementation of Language

Transition Program. The purpose of this program was

to unite Malaysians of multi-races using the Malay

language. Based on this program, all languages of

instruction in English schools were converted in

stages from English language (EL) to Malay, while

Chinese and Tamil national-type primary schools

could maintain two languages but should follow the

syllabus set by the Ministry of Education. In 1982, all

schools in Malaysia used Malay language as the

medium of instruction [1].

In 2003 educational reform occurred again where

the language of instruction of Science and

Mathematics subjects changed from the Malay

language into EL. Although the language of

instruction for Malaysia was the Malay language but

the education reform was done on the basis of EL is

seen as an international language. Mohini et al. [2]

showed that the reasons for the education reform are

Malaysia is heading towards internationalization,

increased competition in the labour market, increased

training of EL usage in the context of international

business as well as increased in the number of foreign

students in local universities in Malaysia.

1.2 Problems of Science and Mathematics

Education around the World The problem of teaching science and mathematics in

EL was also faced by most countries around the

world. This problem was caused by globalization and

migration, where the population of underdeveloped

countries, whose mother tongue was not EL, migrated

to developed countries whose medium of instruction

is English. Many countries around the world affected

by this setback for exaample the United States

[3,4,5,6,7,8,10], New Zealand [11,12], Australia [13]

and England [14]. Thus a lot of researches were done

[3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14] including studies by the

Recent Advances in Educational Technologies

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International Study Centre, the Trends in International

Mathematics and Science Study (TIM2008) [15].

1.3 Teaching and Learning of Science and

Mathematics in English (PPSMI) Issues of learning mathematics and science in EL

covers the problem of the use of vocabulary in

problem solving problem, especially the process of

transforming the EL into mathematical expressions

[16], and discussions of mathematics in the classroom

[12,17]. Students with low English proficiency will

experience problems from lower to higher level, while

students who are good in EL may have a problem only

in the discussion of mathematics in the classroom.

Usually low-level mathematical problem involves

only the first and second year courses at the

university, while the discussion of high-level

mathematics courses occur in the third and fourth

years. Third and fourth year courses are very much

involved with mathematical proof, conjecture based

on logic and reasoning to arrive at the conclusion, and

the ability to generate thoughts on knowledge and

theories learned in year one and two. With a lack of

proficiency in the EL, these students will experience a

shortage in learning mathematics. Research by

Neville-Barton & Barton [11] has shown that students

who use EL as a second language (ESL) experienced

10-15% deficiency in learning mathematics due to

lack of proficiency in EL.

There are some studies that show ESL students are

facing problems in learning Mathematics, both in

primary and secondary schools. Almost every

developed and emerging countries found a decline in

Mathematics results [6,11]; reduction in mathematics

achievement because of the difficulty of

understanding the text in the first year of

undergraduate programs compared with the native

students [18] ;ESL students bear 10 to 15% deficiency

in learning mathematics due to the language and the

problem gets worse for students with low English

proficiency [11,19]. Four of the five studies show that

the ESL students do not realize the extent of their

learning difficulties [11]; mathematical vocabulary

depends on English proficiency and native language;

and problem solving is the most difficult element for

the ESL [11].

In Malaysia, the PPSMI was implemented in 2003,

starting in Year 1 (seven years old), Form 1 (thirteen

years old) and Lower Six (eighteen years old),

although teachers and students are not proficient in

English [20]. This was a big change in the country's

education system with particular challenges to

teachers and students [21]. In 2007/2008 school

session, the Ministry of Higher Education declared

that all university candidates are required to fulfil

additional entrance qualification to the university, by

taking the Malaysian University English Test

(MUET), with the lowest band is one and the highest

of that is six. Thus MUET becomes a measurement of

EL competency.

Therefore, this paper aims to look at students’

achievements in mathematics which are assessed

based on grades obtained in a mathematics course and

its relationship to EL proficiency.

2 METHODS

2.1 Subject The study was undertaken on students from the

Faculty of Science & Technology (FST), Universiti

Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), who were specializing

in Biology and Environmental Sciences fields. A total

of 118 students taking a STQM1823 course were the

subject of study. These students have learned

mathematics in EL since 2006 in high schools. All of

the students have taken the MUET examination, with

the lowest band is two and the highest of that is five.

2.2 Research Instrument Data were obtained from the assessment of

STQM1823 course. The examination questions are

given in two languages, Malay and English languages.

There are four subjective questions given in the test

with different difficulty levels. Students are evaluated

based on overall performance in the course and

competency of English from the MUET band is

studied. The assessment includes mid-semester and

final examinations, quizzes, projects, and tutorials.

During the assessment, students are given the freedom

to choose and use the Malay language and EL in

solving problems.

2.3 Statistical Analysis In this study, data was analyzed using descriptive

statistics which includes mean, standard deviation,

frequency, percentages and cross tabulation. Chi

square analyses conducted to test the significance of

the relationship between two variables. Analysis of

variance (ANOVA) was used to examine differences


ISBN: 978-1-61804-155-5 140

in mathematics achievement scores across different

MUET band.

3 RESULTS

3.1 Mathematics Achievement relationship

with MUET Results Majority of the students lie in a moderate English

proficiency with band three and four of 43% and 37%,

respectively. About 10% of the students are both in

low and high bands, Table 1.

Table 1. Percentage of students with MUET band

respectively

MUET band Number of students Percentage

1 0 0.0

2 11 9.3

3 51 43.2

4 44 37.3

5 12 10.2

6 0 0.0

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test

the relationship between English proficiency, which is

assessed through MUET and student achievement in a

mathematics course which is measured by grades and

scores. The results show that the effect of MUET

results on student achievement were significant (p-

value 0.034, F = 2.995).

Since MUET results are found to affect the

achievement of students, further analysis using Tukey

HSD Multiple Comparison Test and LSD were

conducted to determine the most influenced MUET

band in student achievement scores, Table 2. The

analysis showed that students with band 5 are the

highest achievers and significantly different with

students who earned MUET band 2 (p-value = 0.026),

band 3 (p-value = 0.005), and band 4 (p-value = 0.04).

Table 3 is a cross tabulation results of MUET1

(Band 1 to 6) versus grade category, namely the

Excellent (grade A and A-), Good (B + and B), the

Fair (grade of B-, C + and C) and Poor (C- and

below). The result showed that English proficiency

affected student achievement with a significant p-

value of 0.044.

Results in Table 3 showed dependency exists

between MUET band with student’s grade

achievement. Students with low MUET achievement,

with band 2 and 3 failed to excel in a mathematics

course where 5% of the students from band 2 obtained

a poor grade and almost 40% of band 3 obtained fair

and poor grades.

Based on Table 4, it was found that the p-value for

dependence testing of MUET2, MUET category (low,

moderate and good) versus grade student achievement

(excellent, good, fair and poor) is 0.027. A significant

p-value indicated that MUET results have a

significant relationship with grade achievement. Cross

tabulation in Table 4 showed that for the moderate

MUET category, the percentages number of student

increased for lower grade category.

The performance of students in a mathematics

course is compared with the English competency

measured through MUET results. The findings

showed that, in general, the English competency

affected student performance in a mathematics

subject.

Table 2. Tukey and LSD Multiple Comparison Tests

(I)

MUET

(J)

MUET

Mean

Difference

(I-J)

Standard

Error Sig.

Confidence level 95%

Lower Upper

Tukey

HSD

2 3 -0.22193 4.56503 1 -12.126 11.6822

4 -3.63848 4.63976 0.861 -15.7375 8.4605

5 -12.96212 5.732 0.113 -27.9093 1.9851

3 2 0.22193 4.56503 1 -11.6822 12.126

4 -3.41655 2.84298 0.627 -10.8301 3.997


ISBN: 978-1-61804-155-5 141

5 -12.74020* 4.40579 0.023 -24.2291 -1.2513

4 2 3.63848 4.63976 0.861 -8.4605 15.7375

3 3.41655 2.84298 0.627 -3.997 10.8301

5 -9.32364 4.48317 0.166 -21.0143 2.367

5 2 12.96212 5.732 0.113 -1.9851 27.9093

3 12.74020* 4.40579 0.023 1.2513 24.2291

4 9.32364 4.48317 0.166 -2.367 21.0143

LSD 2 3 -0.22193 4.56503 0.961 -9.2661 8.8222

4 -3.63848 4.63976 0.435 -12.8307 5.5537

5 -12.96212* 5.732 0.026 -24.3182 -1.606

3 2 0.22193 4.56503 0.961 -8.8222 9.2661

4 -3.41655 2.84298 0.232 -9.049 2.2159

5 -12.74020* 4.40579 0.005 -21.4689 -4.0115

4 2 3.63848 4.63976 0.435 -5.5537 12.8307

3 3.41655 2.84298 0.232 -2.2159 9.049

5 -9.32364* 4.48317 0.04 -18.2056 -0.4417

5 2 12.96212* 5.732 0.026 1.606 24.3182

3 12.74020* 4.40579 0.005 4.0115 21.4689

4 9.32364* 4.48317 0.04 0.4417 18.2056

* Mean difference is significant at 0.05.

Table 3. Cross tabulation of MUET1 and grade

Grade Category

MUET band Excellent Good Fair Poor

2 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 5 (4.3) 6 (5.1)

3 1 (0.08) 7 (6.0) 20 (17.1) 23 (19.7)

4 5 (4.3) 4 (3.4) 15 (12.8) 19 (16.2)

5 4 (3.4) 2 (1.7) 4 (3.4) 2 (1.7)

Table 4. Cross tabulation of MUET2 and grade

Grade Category

MUET Band Category Excellent Good Fair Poor

Poor (band 2) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 5 (4.3) 6 (5.1)

Moderate (band 3 & 4) 6 (5.1) 11 (9.4) 35 (29.9) 42 (35.9)

Good (band 5) 4 (3.4) 2 (1.7) 4 (3.4) 2 (1.7)

4 Discussions This study has shown that English competency

affected student’s achievement in a mathematics

course at the university level. Furthermore, students in

a lower English proficiency group showed a negative

relationship with mathematics achievement, where the

percentage of students with poor grades increased,


ISBN: 978-1-61804-155-5 142

Table 3. The findings showed that the mean

performance of band 5 group shows a very good

performance. This means that students must have a

good competency in EL to nurture and understand

mathematics at their best when teaching and learning

of mathematics is done using a second language, EL.

Lack of English proficiency in mathematics

learning creates a lack of attention to the use of

symbols, representations of objects and mathematical

operations. Dubinsky [22] states formalism in

mathematics learning is able to produce meaning.

Formalism means a representation of objects and

mathematical operations such as the use of symbols

and diagrams, while meaning refers to various factors

in the individual understanding. Failure to paying

attention to symbols, representations of objects and

mathematical operations cause dropouts in learning

mathematics or a shortage to absorb mathematical

knowledge due to the learning of mathematics in a

language that is less competent.

Good English proficiency also shows a direct

proportion to the development of cognitive skills.

Good mastery in EL provides excellent performance

while less competence in EL makes learning

mathematics difficult thus student performs poorly in

mathematics course. Although mathematics is

considered to be a subject that does not require as

much use of language because mathematics often uses

symbols, but the skills to understand, build conceptual

and blending information requires thinking in a

language that is well understood. Usually the language

of thought is the mother tongue of the students.

Clarkson [23] found that ESL students tend to

translate their learning problem into their native

language because the thought process becomes easier

in their native language which simplifies the

semantics process. Translation act as an agent to

maintain concentration in the learning process for a

long enough duration so that meaning and

understanding of the materials are achieved. On the

other hand, learning in the second language causes

students to lose some information in the thinking

process because it is difficult to be stored in the short-

term memory. By doing the thinking in the native

language, the concept of learning will be easy to

understand because communication networks in

reading, recalling, and relating information are better

than that of using a second language. This explanation

is relevant in the TIMSS2008 report which shows the

achievements of Mathematics and Science students

who used their mother tongue for teaching and

learning, on average, are higher than those who study

the subject in a second language [15].

5 Conclusion The main objective of this research is to study the

performance of students' in mathematics course in

relation to English proficiency through MUET results.

A dependency test between mathematics achievement

and English proficiency shows that good mastering of

English is needed to nurture and understand of

mathematics to achieve excellent results. Furthermore,

low English proficiency resulted in students

experiencing a shortage in mathematics learning and

obtained a lower grade in mathematics. Mathematics

is a natural language involving certain vocabulary,

syntax, logic and reasoning. The skills to understand

the mathematical language need to be learned in the

native language and the mother tongue is also a

precursor to excellence in learning mathematics using

a second language.

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