Mathematics Learning Experiences: A Comparison between English and Arabic Languages
Yazan M. Alghazo

Abstract
Universities around the world are beginning to use English as the language of instruction for a majority of their courses, which can lead to some difficulties if the students in those universities are English Language Learners (ELLs). The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in achievement in mathematics between English and Arabic. Namely, the study aims to investigate if Arab students perform differently on mathematics exams depending the language used in the exam. The study utilized a mixed methods research design to measure mathematics achievement of the students in both Arabic and English and to understand students’ experiences in the process of learning mathematics in the English language. The findings show that students demonstrated considerable gains on the Arabic version of the exam over the English exam. Other findings and implications of the study, as well as the recommendations for future studies are further discussed.

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