Grade 10 english second language pupils` difficulties with paradoxical jargon and technical terms commonly used in their mathematics curriculum

Abstract

This study investigates, the extent of the difficulty that Grade 10 English second language learners have with some of the mathematics terms which are commonly used in their curriculum.A selection of twenty technical terms and thirteen paradoxical jargon terms as extracted from four different textbooks used for their syllabus. A multiple-choice test was constructed and given to them. A huge and disturbing percentage of the learners writing the test could not choose the correct meaning of both the technical and paradoxical jargon terms tested. Although the learners performed better on the paradoxical jargon section than on the technical section of the test, the difference was shown to be not significant. These results have serious implications for the teaching and learning of mathematics.