English (Second language) – Teaching & Learning Research Initiative

Using home languages as a resource to enhance statistical thinking in a multicultural classroom

Introduction Aotearoa New Zealand is a super diverse nation in terms of the ethnicities of its people and languages spoken. With an increased rate of immigration (New Zealand Immigration, 2018) from various parts of the world, the presence of multiple languages in many domains of social life is a reality. Individuals may identify with several nationalities or racial groups and may speak combinations or mixtures of several languages (Dockrell et al., 2022; Education Review Office, 2018). Consequently, classrooms are now places where learners have different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, where they may speak one language at home and another at school, where teachers and students may not share a common language

The Relationship Between English Language and Mathematics Learning for Non-native Speakers

1. Introduction In recent years, New Zealand secondary schools and tertiary institutions have enrolled increasing numbers of students for whom English is an additional language (EAL students). There is, therefore, growing interest in the language requirements for successful study and in programmes that will assist these students. It is a common perception that students from Asian countries, particularly China, enter the New Zealand education system with good backgrounds in mathematics. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that these students take mathematics in New Zealand because they perceive that this subject is less reliant on language skills, and that they have a good background in mathematics in comparison with New Zealand students of the