Our research shows that interactive maths apps available in multiple languages offer a flexible resource for education policy-makers. High-quality, multilingual, apps can provide a ready-made, step-wise, curriculum resource for implementation in the home language(s), language of instruction, or both. Policy-makers should bear in mind how to optimise the implementation of interactive apps for their particular setting, its languages, and community resources, for example, by considering parental engagement and availability of pedagogical scaffolding. In addition, policy-makers should examine existing research evidence supporting the effectiveness of interactive apps, and how they align to bilingual and multilingual theories, learning theory, and curricula. Such bespoke reflection is key to optimising any bilingual and multilingual education provision, however, some generic points for policy-makers emerge from this work. Our research suggests it is beneficial if:
• Children are able to access the maths curriculum in their home language(s).
• Children are able to interact with the maths curriculum in a way that allows them to rehearse skills at an individualised pace.
• Children are enabled to select their preferred language of instruction for learning.
• Teachers and parents develop a shared knowledge of the child’s proficiencies in the languages understood and spoken, and in which contexts.
• Teachers and parents develop a shared knowledge of the child’s cognitive skills in their home language(s), and provide appropriate scaffolding in the language of instruction to support the child’s successful engagement with app content.
Finally, interactive apps may be viewed as part of the mosaic of multilingual educa- tional policy: not the sole answer to bilingual and multilingual instruction, but forming a useful part of the response to challenges faced by educators. As seen in the South African context, implementation of multilingual practices under policy direc- tives may present significant challenges for teachers, despite the language diversity in a country. Interactive apps can offer support for the fine-grained task of trans- ferring learning from one language to another, enhancing the learning of a child in elementary maths.
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Nicola Pitchfordis a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nottingham. Her research expertise lies in developmental psychology and education. Nicola conducts basic, clinical, and applied research to investigate scholastic progression over childhood. She works at the interface of theory and practice, collaborating with academics from different disciplines and working along- side practitioners and professionals from a diverse range of fields to ensure her research secures maximum benefits for key users and stakeholders. partnership with theVoluntary Service Over- seas, Nicola is leading an international programme of research exploring the use of innovative digital technologies to support the acquisition of basic numeracy and literacy skills by primary school children in Malawi, the UK, and other countries worldwide. She is a member of several advisory boards for organisations, including the EdTech Hub, that are using digital technologies to enhance learning of core foundational skills by young children.
Anthea Gulliford works in the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham. She has extensive experience of training applied psychologists, having been a Programme Director to doctoral educational psychology programmes for many years. She is a chartered and regis- tered Educational Psychologist and also works in Nottingham City Council’s Children’s Services.
She holds a background in early years and bilingual and multilingual education. Anthea’s work focuses on inclusion and equity through supporting the needs of vulnerable learners, including those excluded from school, those at risk of low achievement, those with social and emotional mental health needs, and deaf and hearing-impaired children and young people. Her research and training specialisms include the application of interpersonal skills in school psychology consulta- tion; behaviour change models; group dynamics and organisational change; and applied research methods for educational psychology.
Laura Outhwaite is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities at UCL Institute of Education. Her work combines basic and applied research in psychology and education to understand the design, impact, and scaling of educational interven- tions. Her research focuses on mathematics, early years, and educational technology in different educational and cultural contexts. Prior to joining UCL, Laura completed her Ph.D. at the Univer- sity of Nottingham under the supervision of Prof Nicola Pitchford and Anthea Gulliford. Her Ph.D. thesis evaluated the use of interactive maths apps to support early mathematical develop- ment in UK and Brazilian primary school children with a mixed-methods approach. This work provided the initial evidence for a large-scale evaluation trial of the maths app intervention in UK primary schools funded by the Education Endowment Foundation. Laura has also previously worked as a Research Mentor for the EDUCATE project at the UCL Knowledge Lab.
Lanaya Davitt is a postdoctoral research student at the School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, working under the supervision of Professor Nicola Pitchford and Anthea Gulliford.
Her research focuses on using digital technology to support early years learning for children who speak English as an Additional Language. Her work takes a mixed methods approach: qualitative research focuses on teacher perspectives of implementing maths apps in multicultural classrooms whilst quantitative research evaluates the effectiveness of learning when using interactive apps in multilingual classroom environments. She is also exploring factors that underlie maths ability for children who speak more than one language to understand how best to support children with EAL through personalised learning programmes.
Evalisa Katabuais a middle school Mathematics Educator in Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Witwatersrand. Her interest as a researcher includes the intersection of language/multilingualism and mathematics which formed the basis of her Master’s Degree. Evalisa was the recipient of the award for the best Master’s student in the field of Education in 2019. Before joining the Mathematics Education sector, Evalisa worked in the NGO sector where she was exposed to primary and high school education as well as other humanitarian interventions.
Anthony A. Essienis an Associate Professor and the Head of the Mathematics Education Divi- sion at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He is a series editor of the book series Studies on Mathematics Education and Society. His field of research is in mathematics teacher education in contexts of language diversity. He is also a current member of the International Committee (Board of Trustees) for the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (IGPME). Anthony also served as an associate editor of Pythagoras, the academic journal of the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa, for 11 years. In addition to his background in mathematics education, Anthony also has a background in Philosophy.