Artificial Neural Network and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System Hybridized Models in the Sustainable Integration of Language and Mathematics Skills: The Case of Singapore and Hong Kong

Abstract

The four basic language skills, listening, speaking, reading, and writing play, a crucial role in the development of an individual’s skills in other disciplines. The current study aims to underpin the relationship between language skills and mathematics skills by focusing on the language and mathematics curricula of two consistently high-achieving countries, Hong Kong and Singapore, in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings. In the current study, the convergent parallel mixed method was utilized that qualitative and quantitative data were composed together. Primarily, the outcomes of four language skills were determined in the native language teaching curricula of the two countries. The topics and themes related to four basic language skills were determined from the two mathematics curricula. The curricula were examined by document analysis from qualitative research methods. The analysis was conducted by examining the native language teaching and the mathematics curricula of both countries by the content analysis method. Later, the findings of the document analysis were used to develop machine learning models to find a possible positive relationship between language skills and the PISA scores. Although a number of previous studies have found a reasonable relationship between language skills and mathematics skills, the current study results were contradictory to the ones performed previously in the literature, and considering the curricula no positive relationship between the language and mathematics skills was found. The findings of the current study were further supported by the artificial neural network (ANN) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model performance metrics. Compared to an acceptable level of 0.80, significantly low R2 values of 0.35 and 0.39 for the ANN and ANFIS models, respectively, indicated very little relationship between the language and mathematics skills.