More Than Numbers: Unpacking the Language Demands of Secondary Mathematics Word Problems

ABSTRACT Solving mathematics word problems is a complex task, particularly for emergent bilingual students, who must navigate both mathematical reasoning and substantial linguistic complexity. In this study, we developed a codebook to analyze the linguistic features of 40 math word problems from a 9th‐grade Algebra textbook and identified the frequent occurrences of the linguistic components at both the lexical and syntactic levels. The analysis revealed frequent occurrences of dense noun phrases, technical terminology, polysemous words, and embedded clause structures—features that require considerable linguistic processing before students can access the underlying mathematical ideas. Such demands are especially consequential for emergent bilingual learners, whose mathematical competence may be obscured by the complexity of the language rather than the mathematics itself. The codebook developed in this study also offers math and ELA/ESOL teachers a practical tool for identifying and anticipating these comprehension challenges, enabling them to design instruction and scaffolds that support students in unpacking the language demand of math word problems. This study concludes with a discussion of pedagogical and research implications for educators who share the responsibility of supporting students, especially emergent bilingual students, in developing content‐area literacy skills essential for success in solving math problems.