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URL: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002010000100009
Research problem: It has increasingly become the task of educators to develop strategies to
facilitate quality education for their learners. (Young, 1995) who indicated that the "... interplay
of language and the development of thinking needs serious attention, not only in language
understanding, it has been suggested that effective communication of mathematical ideas is the
key because language forms an integral part of this communication (Thurston, 1995). In a similar
vein it has been pointed out that many of the learners' problems in mathematics originate from an
mathematical concepts (Richards, 1982). Secondly, they have to be able to communicate their
understanding of these concepts in written format (Brown, 1994). Initially the educator explains
mathematical concepts by using two verbal languages: A commonly spoken, everyday language
these languages. This step is especially important if one considers that learners need to be able to
(a) read and write mathematics when using textbooks and (b) complete various assessment
Research Method: The researchers will be using the Likert-scale approach in scalling responses
in survey research for as the research is quantitative in nature. The questionnaires will be
because it best served to answer the questions and the purposes of the study. The survey research
is one in which a group of people or items is studied by collecting and analyzing data from only
Summary: The main purpose of this survey design sets out to test the effects of language in
Conclusion: The research is associated with the learning and use of mathematical terminology
and the related concepts may be attributed to either student's inadequate grasp of the language of
mathematics or the fact that some terms cannot be expressed explicitly in ordinary language.
However, since the students' greatest difficulties relate to the production of the technical terms, it
seems that the latter are either avoided during mathematics instruction or they are not linked to
Recommendation: From the study findings and the discussion held in this study, it is critical that
appropriate to their age and ability if they are to succeed in the subject. By administering suitable
survey questionnaires the beneficiaries of the study can get an idea about students' language
difficulties and appropriate alternative approach to define technical terms would involve the use