9725421 FAZIO This proposed investigation will examine the use of relational terms in children's mathematical performance. Young children in poverty are at risk for academic failure in mathematics. One neglected area of research has been children's understanding of mathematical vocabulary. Differences in life experiences between children from poverty and their middle class peers may lead to differences in the development of mathematical vocabulary. This exploratory research would study the relationships among young children's understanding of relational terms, their ability to use context in judging the meaning or works, and mathematics achievement. Low-Income children's basic knowledge of relational and mathematical vocabulary will be compared to classmates from middle -class homes. In addition, the research will investigate how young children from different backgrounds come to understand that some words have a dominant meaning and an alternate mathematical meaning.
