Investigating the relation between mathematics vocabulary knowledge and mathematics achievement among eight grade students

This study examines the relationship between mathematics vocabulary knowledge and achievement among 8th-grade students, with a particular focus on whether specific types of vocabulary (measurement, data, geometry, number, operation, algebra) have differential impacts on overall performance. Although not initially focused on low-achieving students, the analysis revealed the group was largely low-achieving, offering unique insights. Conducted in a state school in Istanbul, Turkey, during the 2023-2024 academic year, 108 students were assessed on cognitive and academic factors, including mathematics achievement, vocabulary knowledge, processing speed, working memory, reading comprehension, and non-verbal reasoning. Assessments included the Woodcock-Johnson III Achievement and Cognitive Subtests (Woodcock et al., 2001) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Mathematics vocabulary was measured using a test developed by Ünal et al. (2021), and achievement was gauged using the High School Entrance Exam (LGS 2024) results. In the multiple linear regression analysis, where reading comprehension, processing speed, working memory, and non-verbal reasoning were treated as control variables, mathematics vocabulary significantly predicted mathematics achievement, accounting for 62% of the variance in the outcome (R² = 0.62). Notably, the addition of mathematics vocabulary to the model resulted in a 6% increase in the explained variance (ΔR² = 0.06). Further analysis revealed that among the various types of mathematics vocabulary, only the vocabulary related to numbers, operations, and algebra was a significant predictor of mathematics achievement.