An Empirical Study On The Process And Result Of Solving Mathematical Problems Among Second Language Learners

CBI (content-based instruction) is language education in nature which is based on the instruction of a non-language discipline or subject, aiming to improve learner's language ability through the medium of subject knowledge learning. In CBI, language is the means to gain information rather than the ends of learning. This concept of learning is considered more natural, for it is the same as the way we acquire our mother tongue(Peachey,1999). CBI in China is a new topic, and therefore, there are several aspects that need future exploration. This study aims to explore an important issue in CBI, that is, the relationship between language and thought.Social linguist Basil Bernstein claimed(1971)that working-class students achieved relatively poor performance in language-based subjects, when they achieved scores as high as their middle-class counterparts on mathematical topics. He thought it was because elaborated code used for school education was common in communication in middle-class families. Bernstein's finding triggers our thinking on "the impact of language on the acquisition of knowledge" and content-based instruction. Based on the studies of scholars in China and abroad on "the relationship between language and thought" and "CBI", this study selects students in one senior high school, through investigation and research, explores how second language exerts impact on the process and result of problem-solving in mathematics. The result shows that CBI is not suitable in senior high school in China.