Emergent math difficulties among English learners: can the odds be reduced?

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Mathematics Education

Background:

• Solving mathematics word problems poses challenges for many English learners (ELs), particularly those whose home language is Spanish.
• Early identification of math difficulties (MD) is essential for timely intervention in elementary school children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictive measures for emergent math difficulties (MD) in Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs).
• To determine factors that increase the likelihood of identifying EL children with developing MD.

Main Methods:

• Administered a battery of math, vocabulary, reading, and cognitive measures (short-term memory [STM], inhibition, working memory [WM]) in Spanish (L1) and English (L2) to elementary students (grades 1-3).
• Utilized multilevel growth modeling to compare children with emergent MD to average and persistently low math achievers across two testing waves.
• Analyzed growth parameters, including estimation and WM, for their predictive value.

Main Results:

• Significant growth parameters, specifically estimation and working memory (WM), were found to increase the odds of identifying emergent math difficulties (MD).
• These predictive measures differentiated emergent MD from persistent math deficits and average math achievement.

Conclusions:

• A multidimensional model incorporating domain-specific skills and general cognitive processes can enhance the early identification of math difficulties in English learners.
• Working memory and estimation skills are key indicators for predicting future math challenges in EL students.