Analysis of Korean Sentence Patterns in Middle School Mathematics Textbooks

This study aims to explore the linguistic difficulties that Korean as a Second Language (KSL) learners may encounter in the mathematics classroom, particularly in the algebra domain of middle school textbooks, and to propose educational strategies to support their academic language development.Using the theoretical framework of "Curriculum-adapted Korean," this study analyzes the sentence patterns found in the "Expressions and Equations" section of Grade 7 mathematics textbooks, which follow the revised Korean national curriculum of 2022.The research process involved N-gram-based sentence extraction using AntConc, morphological analysis using the Kiwi analyzer, and sentence-level classification based on the six-level Korean grammar proficiency scale via ChatGPT-4o.A total of 69 unique sentence patterns were identified, with approximately 79.7% falling within the basic (Level 1-2) range.Only a few intermediate-level (levels 3-4) patterns were found, making up about 18.8% of all sentence patterns, and advanced-level (levels 5-6) expressions were extremely rare, representing just 1.4%.The findings indicate that while the overall language used in textbooks is relatively accessible, certain formal or abstract expressions remain cognitively demanding for KSL learners.The study suggests that teachers adapt high-level expressions into simpler, pragmatically appropriate forms to enhance the comprehension of KSL learners.It also proposes instructional support resources and guidelines to bridge the gap between learners' language proficiency and subject content.Ultimately, the results of this study may lead to the development of practical curriculum design for adaptive Korean language education, including the creation of teaching materials, lesson models, and teacher training programs.