Paraphrasing Interventions and Problem‐Solving Accuracy: Do Generative Procedures Help English Language Learners with Math Difficulties?

Abstract

This randomized control treatment study investigated the role of generative paraphrasing interventions on word problem‐solving (WPS) accuracy in English language learners (ELL) who were at risk for math difficulties (MD). One hundred and forty‐two third‐grade monolingual and English language learners were randomly assigned to either an untreated control group or one of three treatment conditions: paraphrase question (Restate), paraphrase relevant information (Relevant), and paraphrase all propositions (Complete). Results showed that the relevant treatment condition improved WPS accuracy for monolingual and ELL children's accuracy relative to the control and restate condition. There were, however, no positive advantages on the transfer measures (knowledge of problem‐solving components, calculation) for ELL children with MD. In addition, the magnitude of posttest outcomes on the problem‐solving measures was substantially smaller for ELL children with MD than for children without MD. Although the results overall support the notion that generative learning improves problem‐solving accuracy, ELL children without MD are most likely to benefit from its application.

A synthesis of mathematical wordproblem‐solvinginstructions for English learners with learning disabilities in mathematics

“…Kong and Swanson et al (2019) conducted a combined multiple baseline and criterion changing design to examine the effectiveness of a paraphrasing intervention on improving the accuracy of WPS for nine third‐grade ELs at risk of mathematics disabilities. The intervention involved teaching students to identify the question, find the relevant information, cross out irrelevant information, and solve and check answers.…”

“…In most studies, reading comprehension instruction was embedded in the mathematics interventions, such as paraphrasing or restating word problems, pre‐teaching vocabulary and mathematics concepts, distinguishing relevant information, and more, all of which benefited ELs with LDM in solving mathematical word problems (Kingsdorf & Krawec, 2016; Kong & Swanson, 2019; Moran et al, 2014; Swanson et al, 2019). Some studies did not explicitly include reading comprehension instruction in their interventions, but strategies such as modelling or non‐verbal or non‐textual drawing to represent mathematical relations described in word problems facilitated students' reading comprehension and benefited ELs with LDM (Sharp & Shih Dennis, 2017).…”

“…Support in understanding the text of word problems is also beneficial for ELs, as text comprehension significantly predicts performance in solving mathematics problems. Based on the findings from this review, linguistic scaffolding seems beneficial in supporting ELs with LDM, especially when students are asked to restate and paraphrase mathematics word problems (Kingsdorf & Krawec, 2016; Kong & Swanson, 2019; Moran et al, 2014; Swanson et al, 2019). Table 2 presents the participants' English language status, as well as whether the intervention targeted mathematics computation only or both mathematics and reading comprehension across the reviewed studies.…”

Ecological and Population Validity of Mathematics Interventions for Diverse Students With Low Mathematics Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

“…The percentages of ELs included in the samples varied across studies. Three studies reported that ELs accounted for more than 50% of their samples (Clarke et al, 2014;Moran et al, 2014;Swanson et al, 2019), while in four studies fewer than 10% of the participants were ELs (Bryant et al, 2011;Fuchs et al, 2008;Jitendra et al, 2009;.…”

Language‐Focused Interventions on Math Performance for English Learners: A Selective Meta‐Analysis of the Literature

“…In the last 20 years, the number of English Language Learners (ELs) in the public schools has grown substantially. According to the educational data, ELs made up 10.1% of the school–age population in the fall of 2017, with nearly 75% of these children having Spanish as their first language, or L1 (U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). It is expected that by 2025, 25% of students in the schools will be ELs, increasing to 40% by 2030 (Santiago & Brown, 2004).…”