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Why do so many people find maths difficult?

I think some people are maths and science minded, and others are language and other humanities subjects minded. I for one completely sucked at maths all the way through school, once I was able to grasp the concept that was fine but there was several I couldn't grasp and the ones I did know, I would forget reallly quickly, so I got a really bad pass grade in my final exams and scraped into Trinity, despite the fact the rest of my grades were really good. Screw that, struggling at a subject that will not affect my career path.

Reply 101

cpj1987

15

aKarma

I think it at least starts the other way round. People start to find the subject hard, so cease to enjoy it. Then after that it's only going to get worse.

I'm not sure about that, I'd agree with 'db5vry7772ccz28' personally; people start finding it hard ONCE they've stopped enjoying it.
Otherwise, you wouldn't lose the interest of almost all students at GCSE level or earlier.

Reply 102

LurkerintheDark

7

Since the Government has totally defiled mathematical education (especially at A-Level) by facilitating the wretched practise of coaching pupils to pass exams rather than encouraging them to pursue the subject beyond syllabus requirements, it must be no surprise that many people, including myself, find themselves disenfranchised with scholasitc mathematics -- there is a gaping void in my comprehension in the 'why' behind many mathematical concepts -- sure I can integrate even the most complex fuctions found in an A-Level text-book, but ask me to show exactly how this can be used to calculate the area under a curve and I'm stuck! Or even the point behind calculus in general! I'm willing to bet that most of my A-Level class can't even draw the graph of a linear equation, or proove the Sin^2x + Cos^2x = 1! I wonder how many other people feel that being drilled how to pass specific exam questions, to the detriment of a general understanding of the subject, leaves them feeling immensly frustrated!

Reply 103

DeanK2

LurkerintheDark

Since the Government has totally defiled mathematical education (especially at A-Level) by facilitating the wretched practise of coaching pupils to pass exams rather than encouraging them to pursue the subject beyond syllabus requirements, it must be no surprise that many people, including myself, find themselves disenfranchised with scholasitc mathematics -- there is a gaping void in my comprehension in the 'why' behind many mathematical concepts -- sure I can integrate even the most complex fuctions found in an A-Level text-book, but ask me to show exactly how this can be used to calculate the area under a curve and I'm stuck! Or even the point behind calculus in general! I'm willing to bet that most of my A-Level class can't even draw the graph of a linear equation, or proove the Sin^2x + Cos^2x = 1! I wonder how many other people feel that being drilled how to pass specific exam questions, to the detriment of a general understanding of the subject, leaves them feeling immensly frustrated!

I'm sure many people don't have this problem - everyone in my further class set can do all those things quite well and without any hints. This is beside the fact we are spoon fed in lessons.

Reply 104

aKarma

11

cpj1987

I'm not sure about that, I'd agree with 'db5vry7772ccz28' personally; people start finding it hard ONCE they've stopped enjoying it.
Otherwise, you wouldn't lose the interest of almost all students at GCSE level or earlier.

You could be right. Tbh, it could go either way but I would argue that there is still a distinct spread in perceived ability even before GCSE. I'm not saying that people can't necessarily do year 7 maths so hate it, but see others better than themselves so begin to disregard the subject.

Having said that, I have to admit disliking certain subjects, which I cannot truthfully say I was bad at. However, these were the subjects that demanded some kind of effort, such as french that couldn't be solved simply though intuition, but required at least some kind of acknowledgement of vocab (I did no work ever in French). I still believe people find a subject more boring, at least in lower level education (ie not university), where they perceive a weakness on their part in it, whether though comparison to others or them self in another subject.

However, it is undeniable that certain teachers or courses can really kill all but the strongest enthusiasm for a subject. I really enjoyed Chemisty, conceptually, and did very well on the AS course, but hated the teaching and and the way the course worked. This could well be the situation in a lot of maths lessons, especially in the lower years. The quality of teaching initial probably makes a world of difference as people get set in their views.

Reply 105

rachxl

11

I think it's really, really easy to get put off maths by bad teaching. And it's not like english, where a love of reading can nurture a love of the subject no matter how bad your subject is. If you hate amths at school, you hat eit full stop, and are therefore more likely to find it hard.

Reply 106

fire2burn

17

I find maths relatively easy but that doesn't stop me from hating it with a burning passion.

Reply 107

BMJ

I don't know i passed every other GCSE and exam i have ever taken in my life i'am getting A's in my A levels Histroy Socialogy and ICT yet im crap at maths.

Mind you my school was **** our ofsted report said the teaching and our results in the maths departement where way bellow standards.

maybe it's because there are so few people going into teaching maths and that has had a knock on effect.

Reply 108

ish90an

10

Maths quite honestly is like art. A bad teacher can literally destroy any joy you may derive from it. By bad teacher, I mean someone who will say "do this, this and this, and there's the answer", instead of allowing you to find out a logical explanation behind a set "method". I have seen it myself in my Maths class. Our teacher gave us a method to solve 2nd order differential equations, saying "doing these steps will give you the answer", without once explaining why exactly those steps were needed. Thankfully I had done the topic before and knew the logic behind it, but the guy who gets A1s in every test still has no clue of why exactly he's following a set method. That is what is wrong with maths, its teaching has become too structured, too linear and too fixed for its own good. People see it now as a set chore, not as something to think on or enjoy. That is why people get too bored of it, and hence give it up saying its too difficult.

Reply 109

Zayne

10

I had actually had good teachers. Just took me too long to realize I had no aptitude for it, or at least, none without effort which works out as the same for me.

As for teaching methods, I thought they had always been thus, especially in the old days with the whole drumming the times tables into your head by rote without in some cases people even doing the working out, just learning the numbers. It's only in University when they really start to encourage you how to think for yourself and contemplate other methods, this is going by a friend who does Maths btw, it's what I've observed in my degree too.

Reply 110

Liberties

Because other disciplines have been destroyed by relativism, and thus require no skill to participate in.

Reply 111

Danules

7

maths is the only subject which requires understanding. The others can be made up for by waffle, such as literature. Thus we can see people find useful things hard.

Reply 112

hamster33

11

maths is phycological, if you think your good at math then you are, you would volunteer more and do better.
But if your unconfident you will hide in the classroom!!
more people should feel better about their abilities.

Reply 113

BillV3

14

hamster33

maths is phycological, if you think your good at math then you are, you would volunteer more and do better.
But if your unconfident you will hide in the classroom!!
more people should feel better about their abilities.

Surely that goes for any subject though, and could hardly be used as a reason why people find maths difficult.

Reply 114

Liberties

BillV3

Surely that goes for any subject though, and could hardly be used as a reason why people find maths difficult.

Agreed. Now try my reason. :wink:

Reply 115

BillV3

14

Liberties

Agreed. Now try my reason. :wink:

Well let me first say that with your point I found the inclusion of a picture of modern 'art' to be rather apt :wink:

But I would carry on by saying I don't believe all discplines have been broken down, destroyed however you want to say it, there are some that I still see as being held in very high regard.

I don't think people find maths more difficult than any other subject in general, I think some people find maths more difficult though, if you see where I'm coming from?

For example I could quite easily take this thread and start one asking why do so many people find English Literature/History/Geography etc. difficult as I myself find these difficult yet I don't find maths particullarly difficult (without trying to sound arrogant).

It all comes down to what people are better at as to what they will find harder and as such I don't think that society in general has one subject that the majority find harder than any other, just a few subjects that peoples reactions too it are over exageratted.

Now if that was coherent and made a slight bit of sense I'm doing quite well for 2:08am :o:

Reply 116

Liberties

BillV3

Well let me first say that with your point I found the inclusion of a picture of modern 'art' to be rather apt :wink:

But I would carry on by saying I don't believe all discplines have been broken down, destroyed however you want to say it, there are some that I still see as being held in very high regard.

I don't think people find maths more difficult than any other subject in general, I think some people find maths more difficult though, if you see where I'm coming from?

For example I could quite easily take this thread and start one asking why do so many people find English Literature/History/Geography etc. difficult as I myself find these difficult yet I don't find maths particullarly difficult (without trying to sound arrogant).

It all comes down to what people are better at as to what they will find harder and as such I don't think that society in general has one subject that the majority find harder than any other, just a few subjects that peoples reactions too it are over exageratted.

Now if that was coherent and made a slight bit of sense I'm doing quite well for 2:08am :o:

Fair points. But, to bold: I really don't think you could do that. You seriously think you could make a thread asking why people find English A-level so difficult? :p:

Surely you have heard the stereotypes of these subjects as easy and your subjects as hard.

It does seem like humanities subjects are more popular in schools/universities. See, for example, http://www.management-issues.com/2006/8/24/research/shortage-of-scientists-threatens-uk-economy.asp

Excerpt:

So serious is the problem that the number of A level pupils studying physics has fallen 56 per cent in 20 years. Over the same period those studying A level chemistry has dropped 37 per cent.

Meanwhile, the number of graduates who leave university with a degree in physics, engineering or technology has slumped by a third over the last decade, with only 32,000 undergraduates qualifying in these subjects last year.

I don't know if my reason fully accounts for this, though. If I could see what were the attitudes towards these disciplines a couple of centuries (or maybe just a few decades) ago, I think that would provide a lot of insight.

Reply 117

Serendipity_22

because you have to properly understand it and then do like 100 questions before you actually get it right...grrr
and half my stupid uni course is maths :frown:

Reply 118

funkiichiicka

12

But with English for example, you might have to write an essay or whatever a million times in order to ensure that you include the correct terminology, and to make sure it comes naturally to you to get the best grade.

I do maths, and yes Maths is difficult but so are English and history and those subjects. I dont know why people go 'urrggh' when you say you do Maths. Its the same as othersubejcts, except it involves numbers. Nothing too tragic.

Reply 119

Liberties

^On English courses today they make a big thing of there never being a 'right' answer. This also implies that there is never a wrong answer.

I don't study maths, but I have a feeling it doesn't work in quite the same way. :p:

Why do so many people find maths difficult?

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