Happy Students Fare Worse in Math
If your students do not enjoy math and are unhappy with their performance, then you might want to think about celebrating.
According to a new worldwide study conducted by the Brookings Institution's Brown Center on Education Policy, nations whose students enjoyed math least and felt the least confident in their proficiency in the subject scored best in their math tests. In contrast, countries whose students reported that they enjoy the subject and that they are confident in their abilities don’t do as well in the subject.
The study was based on the results of the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study for fourth and eight graders, where aside from answering the math questions, the students were also asked about how they felt about the subject and their performance. The findings were:
- The 10 nations whose students stated that they enjoyed math the most scored below the average.
- The nations whose students reported a dislike for the subject excelled in the test.
- Students from Japan, Netherlands and Hong Kong reported that they did not enjoy the subject; they all excelled in the tests.
- The least confident students in Singapore did better than the most confident students in the United States.
- Nations that use a more applied and practical approach to teaching math scored the lowest.
The group who conducted the research states that the results could probably be explained by the fact that in the nations with high test scores, there is more pressure on the students to do well. Because they have to work harder and because they think their classmates fare better than them in the subject, the students from these nations’ schools tend to dislike the subject.
The study, according to its author Tom Loveless, does not imply that the teachers should deliberately make their students in Math unhappy and berate their abilities. Loveless states that the teachers should view the study as a sign that they should concentrate more on ensuring that the students are learning and less on making the subject enjoyable. A thorough knowledge of the subject should not be sacrificed in favor of “fun” and enjoyment. To illustrate, he points to how in the United States, Math books are filled with colorful photos, graphics and stories while books in other, better performing countries contain pure text.
He also points out that the study should be taken as a sign of the need to better inform the students of how they are doing in school.
Loveless’ statement that teachers should put less focus on the “happiness factor” has been met with criticisms from teachers. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, led by its spokesman, Francis Fennell, answered the study by stating the importance of ensuring that the students enjoy their math subjects. According to the educator, if a student does not enjoy the subject and if he or she is not confident with his abilities, then it is unlikely that he or she would major in it. Without enjoyment and confidence, he states, “we can’t compete.”
SOURCES:
Feller, Ben. “Happy, confident students do worse in math,”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061018/ap_on_re_us/unhappy_achievers
“Report: Happy students do worse in math”,
http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5553910&nav=1kgl
