In 2000, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) included communication in the standards encouraging students to develop their mathematical language to sufficiently and accurately explain their ideas through discourse. For years, there has been a growing movement for students to attain abilities to articulate problem solving methods utilizing mathematics vocabulary (Pierce & Fontaine, 2009).
In this study, a mixed method design was utilized to examine the relationship between middle school students’ understanding of mathematics vocabulary and their success in mathematics. The quantitative study was conducted to determine if there is a correlation between eighth grade mathematics vocabulary acquisition and students’ achievement on Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Using Ericsson and Simon's (1980) think-aloud protocol, the qualitative study was conducted to examine whether conceptual understanding of mathematics vocabulary impacts students’ ability to problem-solve. The results from both studies indicated an association between students’ acquisition of mathematics vocabulary, student achievement, and their problem solving abilities.
","abstract_html":"<p>In 2000, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) included communication in the standards encouraging students to develop their mathematical language to sufficiently and accurately explain their ideas through discourse. For years, there has been a growing movement for students to attain abilities to articulate problem solving methods utilizing mathematics vocabulary (Pierce & Fontaine, 2009).</p> <p>In this study, a mixed method design was utilized to examine the relationship between middle school students’ understanding of mathematics vocabulary and their success in mathematics. The quantitative study was conducted to determine if there is a correlation between eighth grade mathematics vocabulary acquisition and students’ achievement on Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Using Ericsson and Simon's (1980) think-aloud protocol, the qualitative study was conducted to examine whether conceptual understanding of mathematics vocabulary impacts students’ ability to problem-solve. The results from both studies indicated an association between students’ acquisition of mathematics vocabulary, student achievement, and their problem solving abilities.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bowie, Alanna L."],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Mary Garner","Dr. Belinda Edwards","Dr. Mark Warner"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:00Z","subjects":["procedural/conceptual understanding","discourse","problem-solving","education","Educational Leadership","Science and Mathematics Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/664","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Mary Garner","Dr. Belinda Edwards","Dr. Mark Warner"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bowie, Alanna L."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-05-08T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["procedural/conceptual understanding","discourse","problem-solving","education","Educational Leadership","Science and Mathematics Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/664"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In 2000, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) included communication in the standards encouraging students to develop their mathematical language to sufficiently and accurately explain their ideas through discourse. For years, there has been a growing movement for students to attain abilities to articulate problem solving methods utilizing mathematics vocabulary (Pierce & Fontaine, 2009).
In this study, a mixed method design was utilized to examine the relationship between middle school students’ understanding of mathematics vocabulary and their success in mathematics. The quantitative study was conducted to determine if there is a correlation between eighth grade mathematics vocabulary acquisition and students’ achievement on Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Using Ericsson and Simon's (1980) think-aloud protocol, the qualitative study was conducted to examine whether conceptual understanding of mathematics vocabulary impacts students’ ability to problem-solve. The results from both studies indicated an association between students’ acquisition of mathematics vocabulary, student achievement, and their problem solving abilities.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Relationship Between Middle School Students' Mathematical Vocabulary and Their Achievements in Mathematics: A Mixed Method Study"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Mary Garner","Dr. Belinda Edwards","Dr. Mark Warner"],"dc:creator":["Bowie, Alanna L."],"dc:date.available":["2015-05-08T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In 2000, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) included communication in the standards encouraging students to develop their mathematical language to sufficiently and accurately explain their ideas through discourse. For years, there has been a growing movement for students to attain abilities to articulate problem solving methods utilizing mathematics vocabulary (Pierce & Fontaine, 2009).
In this study, a mixed method design was utilized to examine the relationship between middle school students’ understanding of mathematics vocabulary and their success in mathematics. The quantitative study was conducted to determine if there is a correlation between eighth grade mathematics vocabulary acquisition and students’ achievement on Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Using Ericsson and Simon's (1980) think-aloud protocol, the qualitative study was conducted to examine whether conceptual understanding of mathematics vocabulary impacts students’ ability to problem-solve. The results from both studies indicated an association between students’ acquisition of mathematics vocabulary, student achievement, and their problem solving abilities.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/664"],"dc:subject":["procedural/conceptual understanding","discourse","problem-solving","education","Educational Leadership","Science and Mathematics Education"],"dc:title":["The Relationship Between Middle School Students' Mathematical Vocabulary and Their Achievements in Mathematics: A Mixed Method Study"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:00Z"}