I don't know about your own results. But the international literature on grade retention shows in general no beneficial effects of grade retention  (this is the most conclusive statement that we can make about grade retention policies). Even when a slight positive effect is observed (and this is generally not restricted to math, e.g. Goos et al. 2013), the effect fades away the following year.

So I would not worry too much about an effect which seems to be quite illusory.

Florian, while the specific question has rarely been raised the issues involved regarding different disciplines have been studied with a focus on the discipline of interest but not compared to other disciplines.  Your question exemplifies the need for cross-disciplinary studies regarding student learning and retention. 

(Uh oh!  We can get into some confusion here--you use retention to mean being held back in grade level.  I use retention to mean maintaining knowledge and skills.  Since it's your question I'll follow your meaning of retention.  I'll use "maintain" and variations of that word for keeping, remembering, continued use, etc.)  

I think the difference in results between your example of math and foreign languages lies in the different areas of the brain that are engaged while learning/maintaining a discipline--left or right hemisphere, frontal lobe, etc.  Your observed results and query also have to do with disciplines of very different content.  Learning a foreign language engages both hemispheres of the brain because it is knowledge-based, skill-based, and "talent" or facility-based at the same time.  (I was a foreign language teacher.)  Foreign language learning is most closely compared to music performance (knowledge, skill, talent).  In both disciplines, students might not maintain parts of the knowledge (memory related) they learned with little detriment, but if they don't maintain the skill (rote practice) they'll lose what they had accomplished. 

The foreign language students who were retained (held back a year) were merely repeating the knowledge they had already learned (we assume) and practicing the skills they had already practiced.  They were not adding to what they had previously done.  Students at the end of a year of foreign language compared to students at the end of a year of repeating that language will essentially know and be able to do about the same.

I hope our math experts will weigh in because I honestly don't know how that discipline factors in and why covering the same material a second time has benefits.

Mathematics is a branch of science, which deals with numbers and their operations. It involves Calculation, computation, solving of problems etc., Mathematics reveals hidden patterns that help us to understand the world around us. Now, much more than arithmetic and geometry, mathematics today is a diverse discipline that deals with data, measurements and observations from science, with inference, deduction, and proof; and with mathematical models of natural phenomena, of human behavior, and of social systems. At a psychological level, exposure to mathematics helps in developing an analytic mind and assists in better organization of ideas and accurate expression of thoughts. At a more general level, far away from dealing with the higher mathematical concepts, the importance of mathematics for a common man underpinned. Fro example, even when we think of role of mathematics in our recreational activities, we surprisingly have a list that runs quite long: video games, computer games, puzzles, riddles, hockey, cricket, kho- kho, kabaddi, football, basketball etc with a little bit of foreign languages. Here importance given to mathematical data than languages.

I don't know about your own results. But the international literature on grade retention shows in general no beneficial effects of grade retention  (this is the most conclusive statement that we can make about grade retention policies). Even when a slight positive effect is observed (and this is generally not restricted to math, e.g. Goos et al. 2013), the effect fades away the following year.

So I would not worry too much about an effect which seems to be quite illusory.

Nachi and Pascal - very interesting and important observations.  Thank you.  While the benefits of retention (repeating a grade/course) seem to be minimal, the benefits of a pedagogical principle--review and repetition--that is somewhat related to retention would be of great benefit.  I'm a firm believer in the learning/mastery benefits of review and repetition, yet most textbooks give this scant attention.  It's as if publishers and authors want to forget about the previous year's material (if they forget it, won't the students as well?) and go as quickly as possible to the new year's material.  Many books include a single brief beginning chapter as "review".  Review should be perhaps 30% or so of the book, spread throughout the entire book, not just as the beginning.  I think this would be of some help to students in the knowledge and skill acquisition process.  This observation is based on 30 years of this type of exchange:  Me:  For this activity we need to use the irregular past tense.  Students:  Uh, we didn't learn that or We don't remember that.  Me:  But you just had it last year!  So I have to re-teach or review a bit of last year's material. 

In short, retention, not so much; consistent review, yes. 

Well if you have these references, I would be interested in reading them. But this probably does not contradict the fact that, at medium term, the beneficial effect of grade retention fades.

One result which is well known in educational effectiveness research is that school/teacher effects are stronger on math acquisitions than on language acquisitions. Conversely, students' SES background affects more language acqusitions than math acquistions.The current explanation for this is that math is a typical academic knowledge, which is learned at school, while language is largely learned outside school in the families.

With this in mind, we might think that repeating a grade, therefore having already followed the course, gives a greater advantage in the math discipline than in language discipline.

Pascal,

What is SES?

"language is largely learned outside school in the families."  Florian referred to foreign languages learned at school, not the native language learned at home.

SES = socio-economic status

I did not see Florian talked about foreign language. So my last argument falls down. Apologies.

Pascal, Thanks for the info.  There are only so many acronyms that the human brain can contain and my brain maxed out long ago!

Your last argument didn't fall down; it merely leaned over a bit due to a minor oversight.  Your primary argument stands.

Since the foreign language issue is not fully settled by concrete evidence and since Florian stated that theoretical models are accepted, I am proposing my very own theoretical model with my very own acronym!  I'll call it the Knowledge, Skill, and Talent Acquisition Theory (KSTAT).  Talent doesn't quite belong with knowledge and skill as it is innate and not measurable like knowledge and skill.  I've decided to add it while considering the factors that inform certain disciplines such as the creative and performing arts. 

Each discipline can develop their own KSTAT Model by determining to what extent the discipline relies on knowledge, skill, and/or talent; what areas of the brain are engaged for each; and so forth.  Then, materials and teaching can be adjusted to reflect this information accordingly.

Does that seem feasible, viable, doable to any of you? 

The research supports more time on rigorous mathematics instruction correlates wih higher achievement. The question regarding language acquisition. The research also supports the fact that students acquire more language with practice and implementation when content embedded. My book does provide some information onn the efficacy of mathematics instruction to English language learners

Dear fellows, thank you so much for your valuable comments! You helped me a lot in contemplating this issue more thoroughly. Pascal, you are completely right, even my own data suggest that there is in the long term no beneficial effect of grade retention, but in the short term is seems to exist. And in that short term, retained children do benefit more in math than in foreign languages (at least in Luxembourg). Again, thanks a lot!

Hello,

Sorry for a late reply, but it has crossed  my experience that younger children do better in math after retention due to math being a logical subject that needs practice. a good number of things don't really change in Math when it comes to concepts. I've known 2 children avail better grades at grade 2 level.

Best regards

Partially I agree with Shelina on certain definite concepts and practices in maths.

As far as languages are concerned, HINDI (in India) is a typical example of how confusing the grammar is. Every noun has a gender e.g., KESH (hair) is MASCULINE whereas MOOCH (Moustache) is Feminine. Such examples may exist in other foreign languages as well.

Hope this sets people thinking on the reasons.

Dr Ananthakrishnan

Mumbai INDIA

Hi Florian,

I checked your page but did not see a publication about your results regarding grade retention and mathematics. Have they been published?

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

the paper is still in progress, but I expect it being published at the end of this year or beginning of next.

Thanks for letting me know - good luck with the publication and I look forward to reading it.

Kevin

I have the same request and support as Kevin's.

Best wishes

would be interested in knowing the results of Florian

I think MV has an important point about language that is important to compare to math.  I teach remedial math and am ESL certified as well. Math is a logical subject that builds upon previous knowledge of principles and calculations.  Sometimes more practice is simply needed or perhaps the child had a less capable math teacher in one grade and will get a different teacher if retained (hopefully a better one).  But language is dependent upon so many other factors--as MV points out gender with every noun (German is the same way; "Madchen" or "young woman" is neuter" (go figure). But whereas a very young student picks up language easily, an older one does not. A child who doesn't use the language daily has more trouble with the new sounds than one immersed in the culture or language daily. The brain's greatest window of opportunity for learning languages is 3-7 years; we can learn once we are older but it is harder and takes much more effort.  Few young adults become totally fluent in a second language without living with those language speakers on a daily basis. Retention isn't going to overcome these major cognitive elements regarding language.

Aysha Bey

University of Alabama/Birmingham

Thanks, Aysha. At least you have seen my logic, GERMAN is all Greek and Latin to me...hence the ignorance of gender-related issues in GERMAN as well.

I agree that interactions with the people speaking the language is very necessary for someone to pick up and retain.