A língua de ensino e os desafios da aprendizagem da matemática nas escolas primárias haitianas

Abstract

This study, entitled “The language of instruction and the challenges of learning mathematics in Haitian primary schools” provides an analysis of the problems faced by Haitian primary school students. The problem lies in the fact that education in Haiti is in French, the second language of which most Haitian children only come into contact in schools. Therefore, Creole, the mother tongue, is not really the object of learning in the schools of the country. As a result, children face many learning difficulties, particularly in mathematics. Thus, our main objective is to analyze the importance of the use of the mother tongue as the language of teaching mathematics. To carry out this analysis, we rely on the philosophy of Wittgenstein’s language, specifically on some concepts that he developed in the Philosophical Investigations. Then we use other readings on bilingualism and mathematical literacy, which we judge in accordance with the philosopher’s thinking. On the other hand, we carried out a survey through a questionnaire intended for teachers of basic education I and II working in primary schools in Haiti with the aim of investigating the factors that represent obstacles for students in learning about mathematics, whose classes are in French. In our analyses, we were able to conclude that these factors are due to the behavior, conception and understanding of mathematical language by children and are related to the language problems they face. To cope, some teachers sometimes had to use the translation of mathematical statements from French to Creole to facilitate their understanding. A finding that fits well with the theoretical part of the research, namely that the mother tongue is the one to be promoted to bring the child to a good understanding of the mathematical language. We also note that there are obstacles that prevent the establishment and application of a good language policy in the education system and one of them remains the involvement of the public sector whose investment covers only 20% of Haitian students.