BECE. Newsletter 

Vol.20, No.1, 2025, BECE 1971 

 

 

 

 

Is Mathematics Vocabulary Important? The Mediat-

ing Effect of Mathematics Vocabulary on the Rela-

tionship between Cognitive Abilities and Mathematics 

Performance 

By Liu, D., Zeng, Y., & Chen, X. 
Correspondence to: Di Liu, East China Normal University, China. E-mail: 

dliu@spe.ecnu.edu.cn   

ATHEMATICS vocabulary is an important indicator of mathematical 

language competence of the student. A desirable mastery of mathe-

matics vocabulary is crucial to mathematical study, based on which, the stu-

dent builds their understanding of math concepts and develops mathematical 

thinking. This article is an examination of the effect of mathematics vocabu-

lary on the relationship between general cognitive abilities and mathematics 

performance, with a sample of 249 third graders from two primary schools in 

Shanghai. 

Research Findings: 

 There are positive correlations between mathematics vocabulary 

and math achievement, math problem solving and computation 

capacities in pupils. A better command of mathematics vocabu-

lary often predicts better performance in math tasks. 

 Mathematics vocabulary partially mediates the relationship be-

tween cognitive abilities (such as reasoning and working 

memory) and performance in math tasks. 

Implications: 

 Mathematics vocabulary is an essential foundation for math 

study, serving as an important link between cognitive abilities 

and math tasks. Improving students’ command of mathematics 

vocabulary can help elevate their math performance, problem 

solving and computation capacities. 

 Teachers should pay more attention to the instruction of mathe-

matics vocabulary, aiding students in deepening their under-

standing of math concepts with methods like analysis and com-

parison. Mathematics textbook writers should also attend to the 

consistency and accuracy of vocabulary presentation to avoid the 

confusion in terminology use, which may lower math learning 

outcomes. 

 

M 

mailto:dliu@spe.ecnu.edu.cn


 

Vol.20, No.1, 2025, BECE 1972 

 

Source: Global Education, 2024; 53(12):148-160.