RUME 14 (Volume 4)
2011
Portland, Oregon
A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS ANALYSIS OF MATHEMATICAL SYMBOLISM AND LANGUAGE BEGINNING ALGEBRA TEXTBOOKS
Page: 128
I propose the use of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) as a tool to better understand how mathematical ideas are conveyed through multiple semiotic resources. To demonstrate the tools that SFL offers, mathematical symbols and written language in college beginning algebra textbooks will be examined. I argue that using SFL to research how mathematical content is communicated to undergraduate students can expose important nuances that may otherwise go unnoticed. Key Words: Beginning Algebra, Language and Mathematics, Mathematical Symbolism, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Textbooks How well do college beginning algebra textbooks integrate mathematical symbolism and language? To answer this question I will use systemic functional linguistics (SFL) to link the mathematical symbolism to language. To make this connection, two topics will be focused on: the use of the hyphen, as both an operator for subtraction and modifier for the opposite; and the simplification of algebraic expressions. These topics were chosen not only because many students in these courses struggle with them, but because their simplicity can reveal how SFL can be used as an aid for researcher to tease out subtle distinctions in a subject matter that is so clear in their minds that they might otherwise be overlooked. This research is extended from the work of Kay O'Halloran (i.e. 2000; 2005) which looks at the multisemiotic nature of mathematics through the systemic functional linguistic perspective. My research differs from much of the linguistic research in mathematics education (i.e. Herbel- Eisenmann, 2007; Mesa & Change, 2010; Wagner & Herbal-Eisenmann, 2008) in that it looks at the linguistic nature of the mathematical symbols alongside the use of language with a focus on content. The choice to examine college beginning algebra textbooks comes from of the lack of research in teaching and learning in college development mathematics (Stigler, Givvin, Thompson, 2010) despite the need, and the potential role of the textbook. Developmental mathematics The number of college students needing developmental mathematics is larger than many realize. More than one out of five students entering college are required to take a developmental mathematics course and in two-year public institutions more than one out of every three students needs to take at least one developmental mathematics course (NCES, 2003). Developmental college mathematics courses include arithmetic, beginning algebra, and intermediate algebra, and are labeled developmental or remedial because it is expected that students would have acquired this knowledge in high school or earlier. Compounding this issue, the a majority of students (70%) taking developmental mathematics courses need more than one attempt to pass these courses (Attewell, et al., 2006).