Linguistic and Mathematical Complexity in Word Problems
Abstract
This study examines how linguistic and mathematical complexity jointly influence primary school students’ performance on word problems. A total of 117 Croatian students completed a test containing four tasks that systematically varied in linguistic and mathematical complexity (simple vs. complex). The students also rated the perceived linguistic complexity of each task. Quantitative analyses were conducted to examine performance differences, interactions between complexity levels and correlations with students’ complexity ratings. The findings show a pattern of interaction between linguistic and mathematical complexity. The students performed best on tasks with simple mathematical structure, indicating that low mathematical demand reduces the impact of linguistic complexity. When mathematical structure was complex, simple language became crucial: students achieved significantly higher scores on complex problems written in simple language. The lowest performance occurred when both linguistic and mathematical demands were high. The students’ perceived linguistic complexity negatively correlated with performance, suggesting that student assessment of linguistic complexity can hinder problem solving. Fourth-grade students outperformed third graders, reflecting developmental progress in reading comprehension and mathematical reasoning. The results underscore the pedagogical importance of aligning word problems with students’ linguistic readiness and the need for explicit instruction in academic language structures that support mathematical comprehension and problem solving.
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