Previous research has suggested that training on a musical instrument is associated with improvements in working memory and musical pitch perception ability. Good working memory and musical pitch perception ability, in turn, have been linked to certain aspects of language production. The current study examines whether working memory and/or pitch perception ability are possible mediators of the effect of musical training on second language phonological production. Native English-speaking undergraduate participants were asked questions about their previous music and Spanish training, and were asked to complete tests of pitch perception, working memory, and Spanish pronunciation. Results indicated that although musical training was linked to both better working memory and better pitch perception, only pitch perception ability was a significant predictor of Spanish pronunciation. These results suggest that incorporating musical training into language classes may be one way to improve second language pronunciation.

This study applies the Mathematics Acquisition Framework (MAF) (Bossé, Ringler, Bayaga, Fountain, & Young, 2018) to investigate fifth-through seventh-grade students' comprehension of fractions and decimals and examines how students build understanding of mathematical principles and concepts regarding fractions and decimals. Based on case studies and discourse analysis, the results revealed students in different stages of the MAF with some students employing informal/social language in their mathematical communication and others using formal/academic language. Additionally, mathematically erroneous student communication was more positively interpreted through the lens of the MAF, which interpreted student errors, misunderstandings, and miscommunications as natural components to learning.

Previous theoretical research has revealed conceptual similarities among a number of mathematical learning theories and theories regarding language acquisition. This intersection of ideas led to a novel framework defining four stages of mathematical learning: Receiving, Replicating, Negotiating Meaning, and Producing. Through qualitative research methods and transcripts of student communication and work, this study empirically investigates this theoretical construct. The findings herein demonstrate that this construct is helpful in characterizing where students are in the process of learning mathematics and how to help them attain the next level in the stages of learning.

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