A Vocabulary Analysis of Fourth-Grade Textbooks Representing Three Approaches to Math Instruction

Lexical differences among fourth-grade mathematics textbooks currently used in the United States and representing three different approaches to mathematics instruction were investigated in this corpus-based text analysis. The three textbooks contained a total of nearly 170,000 tokens (i.e. total words) and approximately 8,000 distinct types (i.e., different words). The vocabulary of each text was analyzed at four different levels (i.e., general high frequency words at two levels, academic high frequency words, and OTHER words). *Math Types* in each text were also compared. The texts were compared in terms of total number of tokens and types in each text, the distribution of tokens and types across the four levels, the average repetition of types, and the presence of particular types. Lexical differences were found among the three texts in all areas of investigation. Findings suggest that textbooks used in the implementation of different methods of mathematics instruction may provide different vocabulary learning opportunities and challenges for first and second language learners. This analysis provides insights that allow for more explicit understanding of vocabulary in academic texts. Implications for research and pedagogy are raised.

Thesis Author: Claus, Lara Lee

Year Completed: 2003

Committee Members: Annela Teemant, Eula Ewing Monroe

Thesis Chair: Dee I. Gardner

Thesis Award: Outstanding TESOL Thesis