Incorporating Vocabulary into Math to Support Student Comprehension

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to find out if incorporating vocabulary into math improved student comprehension of mathematical concepts. The researcher used several instructional strategies to incorporate vocabulary directly into the math curriculum in an urban school. Data was collected from a focus group as well as the whole class. Observation checklists and math manipulative bags were used to collect data from the focus group. A vocabulary pre and post-test, weekly math quizzes, and a math pre and post-test were used to collect data from the whole group. The results of this research support that the incorporation of math vocabulary into the mathematics curriculum increases students' comprehension of mathematical concepts. Student verbal use of these words increased, as well as their test scores.