Relations Between Mathematical Vocabulary and Children’s Mathematical Performance

Students' general vocabulary and their mathematical vocabulary are both correlated with mathematical skills. I asked whether mathematical vocabulary mediates the relation between general vocabulary and mathematical performance. Canadian students in grade 3 (N = 234, Mage = 8.7 years) completed measures of general and mathematical vocabulary and several mathematical outcomes (i.e., arithmetic fluency, pre-algebra, and problem-solving). The results showed partially mediation of mathematical vocabulary on the relation between general vocabulary and applied mathematical outcomes (i.e., pre-algebra, problem-solving), and full mediation for arithmetic fluency; second, partial mediation of domain-general cognitive skills was found on the relation between mathematical vocabulary and applied mathematical skills, but not arithmetic fluency. Lastly, partial mediation of Numeration Words was found on the relation between general vocabulary and applied mathematical skills, and fully mediation effect for arithmetic fluency. These analyses provided information about how individual differences in domain-specific and domain-general skills are related to students' mathematical performance.