Why Do So Many Students Find Mathematics Difficult

1. Why Do So Many Students Find Mathematics Difficult? Mathematics is a subject that students either love or hate, there is no in between. There was probably a time in your life when you disliked the subject or found it difficult. Gallup (2005) conducted a survey in United States of America in 2004, where they asked teenagers which subject they find the most difficult. As a result, it was found that 37% of the students find mathematics difficult. Results of the survey obviously did not come as surprise. However, Is Mathematics really difficult or is it just in our heads? Mathematics is a subject that is very different from the rest. All the topics in this subject are related to each other which makes it either very easy or very

2. difficult. If your child is struggling with mathematics that might be due to a number of reasons. From having weak base in mathematics or just simple lack of practice, there are numerous reasons that lead to a student struggling in this subject. Let’s look at some of the reasons that might be the cause of many students finding mathematics difficult. Lack of Practice: Mathematics is a subject that requires a lot of practice. It cannot just be learnt or crammed, it needs to be practiced. Every problem in mathematics is different from the other one, hence it requires practice. There is absolutely no lie in the proverb “Practice makes a man perfect.” Lack of Patience: When learning and practicing mathematics, one should remain calm and very patient. Mathematics is not something that can be learnt in just one go, you need to practice it over and over again to achieve perfection. Thus, you need to have patience while practicing. If you get one problem wrong and get upset over it, you will not be able to achieve what you aim for. Patience is quite literally the most fundamental thing required when learning mathematics. Short Attention Span:

3. Some students cannot remain focused for a longer period of time. Solutions to mathematics problem can be of several steps, hence making the solution long. As the steps increase, students tend to lose focus and therefore are unable to comprehend the solution. As a result, students complain that they cannot understand it and find the subject very difficult. Weak Foundation: This is a subject that is linked with its previous concepts. Almost every course or chapter of mathematics has a pre-requisite. If you were unable to perform well in that course or chapter, skipped that course or chapter or was simply unable to grasp the concepts of that particular topic. It results in students encountering problems and difficulties when learning the new concept. Course instructors, parents and the student themselves should make sure that they are able to understand the concept from beginning to end before moving on to the next chapter. Dyscalculia: Dyscalculia is a math learning disability that impairs an individual’s ability to learn number-related concepts, perform accurate math calculations, reason and problem solve, and perform other basic math skills (American Psychiatric Association, 2018). According to researchers, 3-7% of all children, adolescents, and adults suffer from dyscalculia. Although the percentage of students suffering from dyscalculia is less, but this factor should not be disregarded at all. Students suffering from

4. dyscalculia might be performing well in other subjects and only falling behind in mathematics. One should always keep in mind all the reasons and factors that can be contributing to the reason as why the student is finding mathematics difficult to understand and learn. Boolean Subject: Some people refer to mathematics as a Boolean subject. Anything that has only two possibilities is called Boolean. The answer to your mathematics problem is either correct or wrong, there is absolutely no in between. It is a subject that you can score A+ pretty easily if you practice well. But mostly, either students excel in this course or suffer badly. Unlike other subjects, you cannot get grades in mathematics even when your answer is wrong. In English, you can get marks even when your answer is wrong if you write correct spelling and use proper grammar. Unfortunately, in mathematics there is nothing like that, you get one equation or calculation wrong, and everything in downhill from there in that question. It is very crucial to keep your eyes and minds open and focus your attention towards the problem in hand only. “Mathematics is hard” Students are often told that mathematics is very hard. It leaves a bad impression of the subject in the student’s mind which can cause difficulties. We

5. should never tell a student that something is difficult and let them figure it out on their own. If the student keeps hearing that’s something is difficult or they cannot do good in the subject, they do not even try doing good in it. They make up their mind that no matter how well they prepare or practice, mathematics is difficult and they cannot understand it. These and several other reasons can contribute to why students find mathematics very difficult. None of these causes are something that are impossible to be solved. If the student gets help from someone who is competent enough in this subject, they can never find it difficult. Plenty of patience and practice can make anyone a master in mathematics! References Saad, L. (2005). Math Problematic for U.S. Teens. Retrieved from American Psychiatric Association. (2018). What is Specific Learning Disorder?