| dc.description.abstract | The aim of this study was to
explore how Sri Lankan bilingual students
in public sector middle schools use their
two languages – Sinhalese and English – to
support learning of Mathematics in small
groups with their counterparts who use
Sinhalese only. The sample consisted of
randomly selected 45 bilinguals and 45
monolinguals from three public schools in
Colombo in Sri Lanka. The average age of
the sample was 12 to 14 years. Over a twomonth period, 8 forty-minute lessons from
bilingual mathematics classrooms were
video-recorded and later transcribed for
analysis. In the presentation of findings,
three practices in the language usage which
emerged are discussed, i.e. (1) using
academic vocabulary, (2) invention of new
terms, (3) word-for-word translation. In
the study, one example was chosen to
represent each practice with some of its
situated effects. In the discussion, the first
two examples contribute to the idea that
the students’ experience of language
difficulties, whether real or presumed,
contributes to creating opportunities that
can be beneficial to learning mathematics.
The third example, which focuses on
learning mathematics in the medium of
English points to some contrasting
findings. Unlike many other studies found
in this field, locally or internationally,
which report difficulties and obstacles that
arise in learning and teaching due to
bilingualism in middle school classrooms, a
change of focus via the conceptualization of
language in the form of thinking and doing
is emphasized in this study especially for
learning and teaching mathematics in the
context of bilingual classrooms in Sri
Lankan public schools. | en_US |
