Cultural Math Interview

1. Introduce yourself and your purpose

Thank the interviewee for agreeing to talk with us about his/her math experience. Explain
that we are trying to learn about the math used in different places and we need his/her
help to gather information. Assure your interview subject that this is not a test, there are
no wrong answers, and his/her name will not be used anywhere. It is not important to us
if you are good at math.

2. Basic information

First Name: ____________________________________________

Country of Origin: __________________ Home Language Spoken:_________________
Other Languages Spoken: __________________________________________________
Time Lived in United States:_____________ Age ________________

3. Interview questions:

1) When you count things do you count in

English or in your first language?

2) What is the most difficult thing about

counting in English?

3) What numbers are these, in English?

1,000 5,000,000
8,374,926

How is reading these numbers in

English different from reading them in
your first language?
4) Are there any rhymes, simple songs, or
games that you were taught when you
were very young to help you learn
numbers? (e.g. 1,2, buckle my shoe etc)
Write those you can remember. Use a
piece of paper if you need more room.
5) Are there any important numbers in
your culture? For example, 50 is
important in the U.S. because of the 50
states. 12 is a dozen, 13 is unlucky

Others? From religion, famous dates,

geography (provinces, states) cultural
(native tribes), ages (marriage, etc),
Anything else

6) When you were in school did you learn

about odd and even numbers?
How did you define odd and even
numbers?

7) Is the calendar in your culture the same

as the calendar in the U.S.?

8) Do you use any numbers in your culture

in sayings like these; (check those they

have in home land)

At the 11th hour __

5-o-clock shadow __
40 winks __
On all fours __
A chance in a million __
Feel like a million dollars __
Nine day wonder __
On cloud nine __
The whole nine yards __
At sixes and sevens __
Two left feet __
 In two minds __
Two shakes of a lambs tail __
6 of 1 half a dozen of the other __
2 peas in a pod __
2 is company 3 is a crowd __
(might have to explain these)

Go through numbers 1,2,3,4,5 etc to see if

you can jog their memories.

9) Add these numbers in your head

(without saying anything)

3+7+4+6=

What language did you use to do this?

10) Please complete these addition

problems.
What words do you use? Record the
words you use in your first language
(and in English if you can)

24 + 12 =

78 + 16 =

11) Please complete these subtraction

problems.
What words do you use? Record the
words you use in your first language
(and in English if you can)

46 12 =

72 28 =
12) Please complete these multiplication
problems.
What words do you use? Record the
words you use in your first language
(and in English if you can)

3x8=

12 x 15 =

13) Please complete the following division

problems.

What words do you use? Record the

words you use in your first language
(and in English if you can)

75 5 =

139 6

14) When you were in elementary

(primary) school what sorts of things
did you count with when you were
learning how to add and subtract? (e.g.
apples and oranges in US classrooms)