Cognitive benefits and costs of bilingualism in elementary school students: The case of mathematical word problems

Journal of Educational Psychology

Volumn 103, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 547-561

  Kempert, Sebastian ^a   Saalbach, Henrik ^b   Hardy, Ilonca ^a  

^a GOETHE UNIVERSITY   (Germany)

^b ETH ZURICH   (Switzerland)

Author keywords

Executive control; Immigrant children; Instructional language; Mathematical word problems

Indexed keywords

EID: 80051806581     PISSN: 00220663     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1037/a0023619     Document Type: Article

References (59)

1. Abedi J., Lord C. The language factor in mathematics tests. Applied Measurement in Education 2001, 14:219-234. 10.1207/S15324818AME1403_2.
2. Adesope O.O., Lavin T., Thompson T., Ungerleider C. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the cognitive correlates of bilingualism. Review of Educational Research 2010, 80:207-245. 10.3102/0034654310368803.
3. Baumert J., Schümer G. Familiäre Lebensverhältnisse, Bildungsbeteiligung und Kompetenzerwerb [Family circumstances, participation in education, and acquisition of competencies]d. PISA 2000: Basiskompetenzen von Schülerinnen und Schülern im internationalen Vergleich 2001, Leske + Budrich, Opladen, Germany, [PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) 2000: Students' basic competencies in international comparison]. J. Baumert, E. Klieme, M. Neubrand, M. Prenzel, U. Schiefele, W. Schneider, M. Weiβ (Eds.).
4. Bernardo A. Language format and analogical transfer among bilingual problem solvers in the Philippines. International Journal of Psychology 1998, 33:33-44. 10.1080/002075998400592.
5. Bialystok E. Levels of bilingualism and levels of linguistic awareness. Developmental Psychology 1988, 24:560-567. 10.1037/0012-1649.24.4.560.
6. Bialystok E. Cognitive complexity and attentional control in the bilingual mind. Child Development 1999, 70:636-644. 10.1111/1467-8624.00046.
7. Bialystok E. Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy, and cognition 2001, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. 10.1017/CBO9780511605963.
8. Bialystok E. Bilingualism: The good, the bad, and the indifferent. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 2009, 12:3-11. 10.1017/S1366728908003477.
9. Bialystok E., Craik F.I.M., Green D.W., Gollan T.H. Billingual minds. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 2009, 10:89-129. 10.1177/1529100610387084.
10. Bialystok E., Craik F.I.M., Luk G. Cognitive control and lexical access in younger and older bilinguals. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 2008, 34:859-873. 10.1037/0278-7393.34.4.859.
11. Bialystok E., Craik F.I.M., Ryan J. Executive control in a modified anti-saccade task: Effects on aging and bilingualism. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 2006, 32:1341-1354. 10.1037/0278-7393.32.6.1341.
12. Carlson S.M., Meltzoff A.N. Bilingual experience and executive functioning in young children. Developmental Science 2008, 11:282-298. 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00675.x.
13. Colzato L.S., Bajo M.T., van den Wildenberg W., Paolieri D., Nieuwenhuis S., La Heij W., Hommel B. How does bilingualism improve executive control? A comparison of active and reactive inhibition mechanisms. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 2008, 34:302-312. 10.1037/0278-7393.34.2.302.
14. Cromdal J. Childhood bilingualism and metalinguistic skills: Analysis and control in young Swedish-English bilinguals. Applied Psycholinguistics 1999, 20:1-20. 10.1017/S0142716499001010.
15. Cummins J. Linguistic interdependence and educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research 1979, 49:222-251.
16. Cummins J. Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire 2004, Multilingual Matters, Buffalo, NY.
17. Elbers E., de Haan M. The construction of word meaning in a multicultural classroom. Mediational tools in peer collaboration during mathematics lessons. European Journal of Psychology of Education 2005, 20:45-59. 10.1007/BF03173210.
18. Field A.P. Discovering statistics using SPSS 2009, Sage, London, England. 3rd ed.
19. Fried L. Pädagogische Sprachstandsdiagnostik für Vorschulkinder: Dynamik, Stand und Ausblick [Educational language assessment for preschoolers: Dynamics, state, and outlook]. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft 2008, 10(Sonderheft 11):63-78.
20. Gordon P. Numerical cognition without words: Evidence from Amazonia. Science 2004, October 15, 306:496-499.
21. Hakuta K. The debate on bilingual education. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 1999, 20:36-37.
22. Helwig R., Rozek-Tedesco M.A., Tindal G., Heath B., Almond P.J. Reading as an access to mathematics problem solving on multiple-choice tests for sixth-grade students. Journal of Educational Research 1999, 93(2):113-125. 10.1080/00220679909597635.
23. Kovács A.M., Mehler J. Cognitive gains in 7-month-old bilingual infants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2009, 106:6556-6560. 10.1073/pnas.0811323106.
24. Krajewski K., Liehm S., Schneider W. DEMAT 2+: Deutscher Mathematiktest für zweite Klassen [DEMAT 2+: German Test of Mathematics for Grade 2] 2004, Beltz Test, Göttingen, Germany.
25. Kroesbergen, E. H., Leseman, P., Scheele, A. F., & Mayo, A. Y. (2009, August). Math talk at home and the development of pre-mathematical skills of monolingual native and bilingual immigrant Dutch four- to six-year-olds. Paper presented at 13th biennial conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
26. Lee K., Ng E.L., Ng S.F. The contributions of working memory and executive functioning to problem solving representation and solution generation in algebraic word problems. Journal of Educational Psychology 2009, 101:373-387. 10.1037/a0013843.
27. Lehmann R., Nikolova R. ELEMENT: Erhebung zum Lese- und Mathematikverständnis. Entwicklung in den Jahrgangsstufen 4 bis 6 in Berlin 2005, Senatsverwaltung Bildung Jugend und Sport, Berlin, Germany, [ELEMENT: Investigation of reading and mathematics skills. Development from Grades 4 to 6 in Berlin].
28. Lenhard W., Schneider W. ELFE 1-6 Ein Leseverständnistest für Erst- bis Sechstklässler [ELFE 1-6: A reading comprehension test for first to sixth graders 2006, Hogrefe, Göttingen, Germany.
29. Marian V., Fausey C. Language-dependent memory in bilingual learning. Applied Cognitive Psychology 2006, 20:1025-1047. 10.1002/acp.1242.
30. Martin-Rhee M., Bialystok E. The development of two types of inhibitory control in monolingual and bilingual children. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 2008, 11:81-93. 10.1017/S1366728907003227.
31. Miller K.F. Linguistic structure and cognitive development: Chinese/English comparisons. Studies in the Linguistic Science 1996, 26:237-254.
32. Miller K.F., Smith C.M., Zhu J., Zhang H. Preschool origins of cross-national differences in mathematical competence: The role of number-naming systems. Psychological Science 1996, 6:56-60.
33. Müller A.G., Stanat P. Schulischer Erfolg von Schülerinnen und Schülern mit Migrationshintergrund: Analysen zur Situation von Zuwanderern aus der ehemaligen Sowjetunion und aus der Türkei [Academic achievement of students with migrant background: Analyses of the situation of immigrants from the former Soviet Union and from Turkey]. Herkunftsbedingte Disparitäten im Bildungswesen Differenzielle Bildungsprozesse und Probleme der Verteilungsgerechtigkeit. Vertiefende Analysen im Rahmen von PISA 2006, 223-235. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden, Germany, 2000 [Background-associated disparities in the educational system: Extended analyses of PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) 2000]. J. Baumert, P. Stanat, R. Watermann (Eds.).
34. Muñoz-Sandoval A., Cummins J., Alvarado C.G., Ruef M.R. Bilingual Verbal Ability Tests 1998, Riverside, Itasca, IL.
35. Where immigrant students succeed: A comparative review of performance and engagement in PISA 2003 2006, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Author, Paris, France.
36. Pasolunghi M.C., Cornoldi C., De Liberto S. Working memory and intrusions of irrelevant information in a group of specific poor problem solvers. Memory & Cognition 1999, 27:779-790. 10.3758/BF03198531.
37. Ramm G., Prenzel M., Heidemeier H., Walter O. Soziokulturelle Herkunft und Migration im Ländervergleich [Socio-cultural and migration background in the Federal States of Germany]. PISA 2003: Der zweite Vergleich der Länder in Deutschland. Was wissen und können Jugendliche? [PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) 2003: Second comparison between the federal states of Germany. Which knowledge and competencies do teenagers possess?] 2005, 269-298. Waxmann, Münster, Germany. M. Prenzel (Ed.).
38. Reusser K. Erwerb mathematischer Kompetenzen: Literaturüberblick. Entwicklung im Grundschulalter [Development in elementary school age] 1997, 141-155. Beltz, Weinheim, Germany, [The acquisition of mathematical skills: Overview of the literature]. F.E. Weinert, A. Helmke (Eds.).
39. Riley M.S., Greeno J.G. Developmental analysis of understanding language about quantities and solving problems. Cognition and Instruction 1988, 5:49-101. 10.1207/s1532690xci0501_2.
40. Riley M.S., Greeno J.G., Heller J.H. Development of children's problem solving ability in arithmetic. The development of mathematical thinking 1983, 153-200. Academic Press, New York, NY. H.P. Ginsburg (Ed.).
41. Rodriguez-Fornells A., de Diego Balaguer R., Münte T.F. Executive control in bilingual language processing. Language Learning 2006, 56:133-190. 10.1111/j.1467-9922.2006.00359.x.
42. Saalbach, H., Eckstein, D., & Grabner, R. (2010, June). Bilingual learning and mathematical knowledge representation in the brain. Poster session presented at 1st symposium of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) Special Interest Group on Neuroscience and Education. Zurich, Switzerland.
43. Schnepf S.V. How different are immigrants? A cross-country and cross-survey analysis of educational achievement 2004, IZA [Institute for the Study of Labor], Bonn, Germany, (IZA Discussion Paper No. 1398).
44. Schwippert K., Bos W., Lankes E.-M. Heterogenität und Chancengleichheit am Ende der vierten Jahrgangsstufe im internationalen Vergleich [International comparison of heterogeneity and equality of opportunities at the end of grade four]. Erste Ergebnisse aus IGLU: Schülerleistungen am Ende der vierten Jahrgangsstufe im internationalen Vergleich [First results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS): Students' school achievement at the end of grade four in international comparison 2004, 265-302. Waxmann, Münster, Germany. W. Bos, E.-M. Lankes, M. Prenzel, K. Schwippert, G. Walther, R. Valtin (Eds.).
45. Schwippert K., Hornberg S., Goy M. Lesekompetenzen von Kindern mit Migrationshintergrund im nationalen Vergleich [National comparisons of reading skills in children with a migrant background]. IGLU-E 2006: Die Länder der Bundesrepublik Deutschland im nationalen und internationalen Vergleich [International Primary School Reading Literacy Study National Extension (IGLU-E) 2006: The federal states of Germany by national and international comparison 2008, Waxmann, Münster, Germany. W. Bos, E.-M. Lankes, K. Schwippert (Eds.).
46. Shaftel J., Belton-Kocher E., Glasnapp D.R., Poggio J.P. The impact of test item characteristics on the performance of English language learners and students with disabilities on large-scale mathematics assessments. Educational Assessment 2006, 11:105-126. 10.1207/s15326977ea1102_2.
47. Spelke E.S., Tsivkin S. Language and number: A bilingual training study. Cognition 2001, 78:45-88. 10.1016/S0010-0277(00)00108-6.
48. Stanat P. Heranwachsende mit Migrationshintergrund im deutschen Bildungswesen [Adolescents with a migrant background in the German educational system]. Das Bildungswesen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Strukturen und Entwicklungen im Überblick [The German educational system: Overview of structures and development] 2008, 673-685. Rowohlt-Taschenbuch-Verl, Reinbek bei Hamburg, Germany. K.S. Cortina (Ed.).
49. Stanat P., Rauch D., Segeritz M. Schülerinnen und Schüler mit Migrationshintergrund [Students with migrant background]. PISA 2009: Bilanz nach einem Jahrzehnt [Balance after one decade] 2010, 200-228. Waxmann, Münster, Germany. E. Klieme, C. Artelt, J. Hartig, N. Jude, O. Köller, M. Prenzel, P. Stanat (Eds.).
50. Staub F.C., Reusser K. The role of presentational structures in understanding and solving mathematical word problems. Discourse comprehension. Essays in honor of Walter Kintsch 1995, 285-305. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ. C.A. Weaver, S. Mannes, C.R. Fletcher (Eds.).
51. Stern E. Die Entwicklung des mathematischen Verständnisses im Kindesalter [The development of mathematical competencies in early childhood] 1998, Pabst Science, Berlin, Germany.
52. Stern E. The development of mathematical competencies: Sources of individual differences and their developmental trajectories. Human development from early childhood to early adulthood: Evidence from the Munich Longitudinal Study on the Genesis of Individual Competencies (LOGIC) 2009, 221-237. Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ. W. Schneider, M. Bullock (Eds.).
53. Stern E., Lehrndorfer A. The role of situational context in solving word problems. Cognitive Development 1992, 7:259-268. 10.1016/0885-2014(92)90014-I.
54. Verhoeven L., Aarts R. Attaining functional biliteracy in the Netherlands. Literacy development in a multilingual context 1998, 111-133. Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ. A. Durgunoglu, L. Verhoeven (Eds.).
55. Verschaffel L., Greer B., De Corte E. Everyday knowledge and mathematical modeling of school word problems. Symbolizing, modeling and tool use in mathematics education 2002, 257-276. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, the Netherlands. K. Gravemeijer (Ed.).
56. Walter O. Herkunftsassoziierte Disparitäten im Lesen, der Mathematik, und den Naturwissenschaften: Ein Vergleich zwischen PISA 2000, PISA 2003, und PISA 2006. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft 2008, 10:149-168. [Background-associated disparities in reading, mathematics, and the natural sciences: A comparison of PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) 2000, PISA 2003, and PISA 2006].
57. Walter O., Taskinen P. Kompetenzen und bildungsrelevante Einstellungen von Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund in Deutschland: Ein Vergleich mit ausgewählten OECD-Staaten [Competencies and educationally relevant attitudes of adolescents with migrant background in Germany: A comparison of selected OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations]. PISA 2006: Die Ergebnisse der dritten internationalen Vergleichsstudie [PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) 2006: Results of the third international comparison 2007, 337-366. Waxmann, Münster, Germany. M. Prenzel (Ed.).
58. Weiß R.H. Grundintelligenztest Skala 2: CFT 20 [Basic Intelligence Test 2: Culture Fair Intelligence Test 20] 1998, Hogrefe, Göttingen, Germany.
59. Woodcock R.W. Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery-Revised 1991, Riverside, Rolling Meadows, IL.