A Quantitative Study of Mathematical Vocabulary Use in Upper Elementary Classrooms

This study provides the first large-scale quantitative exploration of mathematical vocabulary use in upper elementary U.S. classrooms. Our approach employs natural language processing techniques to describe variation in teachers’ and students’ use of mathematical vocabulary in 1,657 fourth- and fifth-grade lessons in 317 classrooms in four districts over 3 years. Students’ exposure to mathematical vocabulary varies substantially across lessons and between teachers. Results suggest that teacher modeling, defined as the frequency of mathematical vocabulary in teacher talk, does not substantially cause students to uptake mathematical vocabulary but that teachers may encourage student use of mathematical vocabulary by means other than mere modeling or exposure. We find that teachers who more frequently model mathematical vocabulary use are more effective at raising student test scores.