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Thursday, September 08, 2022

The way you talk to your child about math matters

Parents’ responses to children’s math success, failure linked to motivation, anxiety

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

“You’re so smart!”

This encouraging response may actually do more harm than good to children’s math performance, according to a new study by the University of Georgia.

Co-conducted by Michael Barger, an assistant professor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology, the study found that encouraging children with responses related to their personal traits or innate abilities may dampen their math motivation and achievement over time.

Parents who make comments linking their children’s performance to personal attributes like intelligence (e.g., “You’re so smart” or “Math just isn’t your thing”) are using what’s referred to as person responses. In contrast, parents who link their children’s actions, such as effort or strategy use, to their performance (e.g., “You worked hard” or “What might be useful next time you have a math test?”) are using process responses.

“Person-focused praise sounds good on its face, but ultimately, it might undermine students’ motivation if they run into challenges,” said Barger. “Because if you run into challenges after being told you’re so smart, you might think, ‘Maybe they were wrong.’ We also know that people tend to think about math as something that some people can do and others can’t, and that language is pretty common, whether it’s among parents or teachers, even with young kids.”

Praising strategy and effort

For the study, researchers asked more than 500 parents to report on how they respond to their children’s math performance and their math beliefs and goals. Students were assessed in two waves across a year to measure their math motivation and achievement.

The results showed that parents who viewed math ability as changeable were more likely to give process responses focused on their children’s strategy use and efforts rather than their intelligence or other personal attributes.

In contrast, parents who believe math ability is unchangeable and that math failure can’t be constructive gave more person-oriented responses. Parents with high expectations for their children gave a combination of both responses.

While responses highlighting strategy and effort were not related to any achievement outcomes, children who received more responses about their personal traits—in particular, related to failure—were more likely to avoid harder math problems, exhibited higher levels of math anxiety, and scored lower on a math achievement test.

“There are a couple possible reasons process messages aren’t necessarily improving math achievement,” said Barger. “It could be that they’re just so frequent now that they just kind of wash over, and that doesn’t have as much of an impact. And it could also be that some of these messages don’t land correctly if they’re not authentic. However, with person responses, we saw clear links to anxiety and less preference for challenging math problems.”

A boost to math motivation

Because person responses predict poor math adjustment in children over time, researchers recommend limiting this type of response at home and in the classroom.

“There’s not necessarily any benefit to talking about whether people are or are not math people because if you’re a student who starts struggling, you’re going to start thinking that maybe you’re not a math person,” said Barger.

The second recommendation for parents is to think about their own beliefs and goals for their kids and examine how these might lead them to respond in person or process ways. Simply telling parents to refrain from talking about math ability may not be enough.

Instead, convincing parents that math performance can improve could go a long way.

Many parents praise their children’s individual characteristics as a form of encouragement, but focusing less on how students perform and more on their strategy and enjoyment of math might be a more effective way to enhance motivation.

This means using responses like “Why do you think that happened?” or “Did you have fun?” in place of responses like “You’re so smart” or “Math just isn’t your thing.”

“We should also be asking whether parents believe that math ability can change and if they view failure as an opportunity to learn, as this seems to be related to less person responses,” said Barger. “This is more effective than just giving a checklist of things to say.”

JOURNAL

Child Development

DOI

10.1111/cdev.13834

ARTICLE TITLE

Parents' responses to children's math performance in early elementary school: Links with parents' math beliefs and children's math adjustment

DONALD DUCK IN MATHMAGIC LAND

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Two Native Scholars Link Native Culture to Math

Yahoo News
Native Education

Danny Luecke (enrolled member of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), developer/instructor for the bachelor’s degree in Secondary Math Education at Turtle Mountain Community College. Luecke is currently completing his Ph.D. in math and math education at North Dakota State University. (Photo/American Indian College Fund)

BY NATIVE NEWS ONLINE STAFF AUGUST 12, 2023

The focus of tribal colleges’ work is to seek connections between the cultures and heritage of the Indigenous communities they serve and mainstream education curricula.

Danny Luecke (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), a member of the Teacher Education Department at Turtle Mountain Community College, and Dr. David Sanders (Oglala Sioux Tribe), vice president of research at the American Indian College Fund, explored the connections between math content, local culture, and the classroom.

While using an Indigenous research paradigm at Sitting Bull College, located on the Standing Rock Reservation, their work looks at how to connect language and culture in the tribal college math classroom and has contributed to a change in the theory of knowledge incorporated at tribal colleges and universities.

Their resulting co-authored, peer-reviewed research paper titled “Dakota/Lakota Match Connections: an epistemological framework for teaching and learning mathematics with Indigenous communities and students,” was published in Frontiers in Education on July 27, 2023.

“My main thought was how to connect the TCU math classroom with language and culture. Most of us were taught math with the Western value of separation/abstraction (that is removing relationship) as the only and superior way to think mathematically. The myth that Western math is placeless, without culture, and contains all mathematical knowing is very prevalent, but does not align with the SBC mission statement that has D/Lakota language, culture, and values influencing every classroom, including the math class," Luecke said of his research and work at Sitting Bull College as a math teacher partnering with its immersion school,

Through conversations at Sitting Bull College with elders, language instructors, math instructors, and people in the community, Luecke said he found many examples of the connections between the Dakota/Lakota language and math. \

The research methodology Luecke and Sanders used incorporated the voices of community members, elders, Native speakers, and culture bearers. Around the same time, Luecke said he was doing work personally to learn what it means to be a member of the Choctaw Nation.

Luecke is the developer/instructor for the bachelor’s degree in Secondary Math Education at Turtle Mountain Community College. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in math and math education at North Dakota State University. His research focuses on Dakota/Lakota Math Connections at Sitting Bull College. He was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota. In addition to his membership in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Luecke has ancestry from multiple European nations as well. He says he is honoring all his ancestors and the Creator through his life and work with the Standing Rock and Turtle Mountain communities. He has also written other articles about Indigenous math connections, including the forthcoming article "Dakota/Lakota Math Connections: Results from Developing a Community-based Math Resource" submitted for publication in 2024 in the Tribal College and University Research Journal, and “Ojibwe Math at Turtle Mountain Community College,” to be published in the Fall 2023 issue of Tribal College Journal. His forthcoming dissertation (December 2023) is titled “Dakota/Lakota Math Connections: Applying an Indigenous Research Paradigm to Research in Undergraduate Math Education.”

“Danny has taken up an important strand of practical research, applying an Indigenous methodological approach which requires Indigenous communities to be involved throughout the process. In Danny's work, community members have shaped, developed, and drive the connections between Western Mathematics, English, Dakota/Lakota Mathematics and the Dakota/Lakota languages while not privileging one over the other. Stemming from this work is the idea that mathematics can increase Dakota/Lakota language fluency and Dakota/Lakota languages can help increase mathematical conceptual understanding. In essence, the intersection of these four areas helps to demystify the subject of mathematics, with the understanding that all cultures use mathematics," Sanders said,

Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund says making making cultural connections with teaching students leads to meaningful education for Native students.

“Naming our traditional knowledge and linking that knowledge with teaching and learning in our schools and homes is one of the ways that we ensure quality, meaningful education for our children. When scholars make those connections for us, we honor and appreciate that scholarship and the opportunity to share it with the broader educational community," Crazy Bull said.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

START WITH PYTHOGARAS & EUCLID

Disconnected from math, students call for real-world relevance in RAND’s first-ever youth survey

In research funded by the Gates Foundation, new national data show widespread disengagement in math, highlighting a need for more relatable instruction and higher-quality curriculum

RAND Corporation

According to the first-ever survey fielded to RAND’s new American Youth Panel (AYP), 49% of students in middle and high school grades reported losing interest in math about half or more of the time, and 75% of youths reported losing interest for at least some class time.

Loss of interest in math is consistent across genders and racial and ethnic groups.

In the fall of 2024, RAND asked youths in grades 5 through 12 about their math class experiences with plans to measure these math attitudes annually to track trends over time. This nationally representative report was fielded to a group of almost 2,000 youth ages 12-21 who regularly complete surveys via email and text message about their attitudes, behaviors, school experiences, and other issues affecting their lives.

Thirty percent of middle and high school students said that they have never considered themselves a “math person.” Those who did identify as math people developed this view during elementary school, suggesting that elementary school math teachers have a large role in cultivating positive math attitudes.

“Student feedback offers one of many likely reasons for the slow post-pandemic recovery: students are frequently bored with math,” said Heather L. Schwartz, vice president and director of RAND Education and Labor. “Although boredom is not unique to math, routine boredom is a problem. These findings emphasize the importance of boosting student engagement to improve academic outcomes.”

The RAND survey also found that students who lose interest in math often want fewer online activities and more real-world applications in their math classes.

“It may sound surprising in today’s high-tech environment, but online math activities might be less motivating than face-to-face instruction,” said Robert Bozick, senior research scientist at RAND, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization. “This emphasizes the need for high-quality math instruction, and we suggest a mix of engaging math activities combining face-to-face teacher-student interactions with a mix of offline and online activities and the use of more real-world applications in the classroom.”

This work was supported by the Gates Foundation

The AYP was launched in 2024 to augment RAND’s American Life Panel (ALP). Developed by RAND researchers in 2006, the ALP is a probability sample–based panel of approximately 8,000 regularly interviewed adults in the United States ages 18 and older. The AYP was developed to extend the age range of the ALP so that it can collect timely data on issues related to contemporary youths and their transition to adulthood.

Other authors of Losing Interest In Math: Findings from the American Youth Panel are Melissa Kay Diliberti and Sarah Ohls.

RAND Education and Labor conducts research on early childhood through postsecondary education programs, workforce development, and programs and policies affecting workers, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and decisionmaking.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.
To sign up for RAND e-mail alerts: http://www.rand.org/publications/email.html

RAND is a registered trademark

...AND THE SOLUTION IS

LEGO improves maths and spatial ability in the classroom

University of Surrey

A simple classroom activity involving a classic childhood staple, LEGO, could improve children’s maths and spatial ability, leading researchers to demand for policymakers to shake up the school curricula and teachers’ professional development.

A new study, led by the University of Surrey, tested incorporating LEGO building into the daily teaching curriculum, leading to tangible improvements and boosting abilities for students aged six to seven.

The study, which involved 409 children from schools in Surrey and Portsmouth, demonstrated that the six-week Spatial Cognition to Enhance mathematical learning (SPACE) programme - where teachers led LEGO-based activities - resulted in marked improvements in children's mental rotation skills (the ability to visualise and manipulate objects in their minds) and mathematics performance.

Professor Emily Farran, Professor in Cognitive Development at the University of Surrey and lead author of the study, said:

"We've known for some time that spatial reasoning and maths are closely linked, however, most spatial training has been conducted in laboratory settings. Our study shows that spatial training delivered by teachers in the classroom is effective, with positive outcomes for their students."

The SPACE programme involved training teachers on the importance of spatial reasoning and, via a booklet with visual instructions, how to guide their students through structured LEGO building exercises. Teachers were encouraged to prompt students to think spatially, for example, to visualise and mentally manipulate the blocks, fostering their spatial skills.

Professor Camilla Gilmore, Professor of Mathematical Cognition at Loughborough University and co-author of the study commented:

"Addressing underachievement and reducing disadvantage gaps in mathematics is an ongoing challenge for educators and policy makers. The results of this study were clear - children who participated in the SPACE programme showed significant improvements in their spatial and maths abilities compared to those who received standard instruction. This suggests that simple, hands-on spatial activities can have a powerful impact on learning and are an important avenue to improve children’s achievement and enjoyment of mathematics.

Professor Farran added:

"This research highlights the importance of spatial reasoning in mathematics education. By incorporating spatial activities into the curriculum, we will equip the next generation to meet the heightened demands for critical thinking, problem solving and data-use brought about by technological and AI-enabled change."

Spatial interventions such as SPACE have also been shown to support inclusion, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). In fact, children from disadvantaged backgrounds often show larger gains in mathematics competence compared with their peers, suggesting that opportunities to think and work spatially could contribute to closing attainment gaps.

[ENDS]

Professor Emily Farran is available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.

The full paper is available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mbe.70006

An image of Professor Farran is available upon request.

Journal

Mind Brain and Education

DOI

10.1111/mbe.70006

Article Title

Teacher delivered block construction training improves children’s mathematics performance.

Article Publication Date

17-Jun-2025

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Big data tells story of diversity, migration of math's elite

Analysis of nearly 250,000 mathematicians gives a picture of the world of math

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Research News

IMAGE: THE MIGRATION OF ELITE MATHEMATICIANS BETWEEN FIVE KEY COUNTRIES SINCE 1800. THE FLOW CHART REVEALS MASS FLOWS OF RESEARCHERS DUE TO HISTORICAL EVENTS, SUCH AS WAR. view more
CREDIT: FIGURE BY HERBERT CHANG.

Math's top prize, the Fields Medal, has succeeded in making mathematics more inclusive but still rewards elitism, according to a Dartmouth study.

Published in Nature's Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, the study analyzed the effectiveness of the Fields Medal to make math at its highest level more representative across nations and identities. The result provides a visual, data-driven history of international migration and social networks among math elites, particularly since World War II.

"With so much recent discussion on equality in academia, we came to this study recognizing that math has a reputation of being egalitarian," says Herbert Chang, a research affiliate in Dartmouth's Fu Lab and lead author of the paper. "Our results provide a complex and rich story about the world of math especially since the establishment of the Fields Medal."

The Fields Medal, widely considered the Nobel Prize of mathematics, is awarded every four years to mathematicians under the age of 40. It was first presented in 1936 to honor young mathematicians from groups that were typically underrepresented in top math circles.

According to the Dartmouth mathematicians, the prize has received criticism over its history for rewarding existing power structures rather than making math more inclusive and equitable at the elite level. Against this criticism, the study set out to explore how well the award has lived up to its original promise.

The analysis shows that the Fields Medal has elevated mathematicians of marginalized nationalities, but that the there is also "self-reinforcing behavior," mostly through mentoring relationships among math elites.

As example, the study found that the award succeeded in integrating mathematicians from Japan and Germany after WWII. But it also found that two-thirds of 60 medalists emerged from the same math "ancestral tree."

Although the study found diversity among award winners from top math countries, it also found that groups with Arabic, African, and East Asian language identities remain under-represented at the elite level.

The research team defines "elite" as a connection between Fields medalists, rather than other indicators that measure academic productivity and impact.

"It's a privilege for a young mathematician to inherit a powerful network of relationships from an influential academic advisor," says Feng Fu, an assistant professor of mathematics and the senior researcher for the study. "The growing number of doctoral degrees awarded to international mathematicians in the U.S. indicates that mathematics can be a powerful integrative force in our common humanity."

According to the paper, only France exports more elite mathematicians to the United States than it receives from the U.S. "This seems to affirm France as the intellectual capital of mathematics," say the authors.

"A mathematician that is French and attends a top 50 institution means they are 6.4 times more likely to gain membership into the elite circle," the research team says in the study. "On the other hand, being East Asian and attending a top 50 institution only affords you 1.5 times the likelihood of gaining membership into this elite circle."

Among other findings of the study:

- Germany has consistently high levels of pluralism in mathematics except for the period of WWII.

- Japan has recently opened to higher levels of non-Japanese elites within the country.

- The number of Russian elite mathematicians decreased significantly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The research team used artificial intelligence techniques to study data on more than 240,000 mathematicians dating as far back as the 16th century. The information was taken from the Mathematics Genealogy database maintained by North Dakota State University.

Researchers organized elite mathematicians by countries and lingo-ethnic categories and then mapped their flow between nations and across ethnic lines. Connections were drawn to show the physical movement, identity and academic relationship of mathematicians.

"There are many sources of inequality in elite-level math and academia. Our goal was to characterize how a single factor--mentorship--plays a role, while telling a comprehensive story about mathematics," says Chang, who was in Dartmouth's Jack Byrne Scholars Program in Math and Society as an undergraduate.

Prior studies of the Fields Medal and elitism in math have focused on how mathematicians cite research. According to the research team, such an approach might miss the structural forces that prevent access to individuals from outside elite math circles.

The research advances past studies by providing a high-level view of the relationship between mentorship, prize giving, and ethnicity.

The research team concludes, as other researchers have in the past, that the Fields Medal should "return to its roots" in order to achieve its original goal of elevating marginalized voices.

###

The research was supported by the Shapiro Visitors Program in the Department of Mathematics and the Neukom Institute.

Monday, June 10, 2024

Peers crucial in shaping boys’ confidence in math skills

UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH

Boys are good at math, girls not so much? A study from the University of Zurich has analyzed the social mechanisms that contribute to the gender gap in math confidence. While peer comparisons seem to play a crucial role for boys, girls’ subjective evaluations are more likely to be based on objective performance.

Research has shown that in Western societies, the average secondary school girl has less confidence in her mathematical abilities than the average boy of the same age. At the same time, no significant difference has been found between girls’ and boys’ performance in mathematics. This phenomenon is often framed as girls not being confident enough in their abilities, or that boys might in fact be overconfident.

This math confidence gap has far-reaching consequences: self-perceived competence influences educational and occupational choices and young people choose university subjects and careers that they believe they are talented in. As a result, women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects at university level and in high-paying STEM careers.

Peer processes provide nuanced insights into varying self-perceptions

A study from the University of Zurich (UZH) focuses on a previously neglected aspect of the math confidence gap: the role of peer relationships. “Especially in adolescence, peers are the primary social reference for individual development. Peer processes that operate through friendship networks determine a wide range of individual outcomes,” said the study’s lead author Isabel Raabe from the Department of Sociology at UZH. The study analyzed data from 8,812 individuals in 358 classrooms in a longitudinal social network analysis.

As expected, the main predictor of math confidence is individual math grades. While girls translated their grades – more or less directly – into self-assessment, boys with below-average grades nevertheless believed they were good at math.

Boys tend to be overconfident and sensitive to social processes

“In general, boys seem to be more sensitive to social processes in their self-perception – they compare themselves more with others for validation and then adjust their confidence accordingly,” Raabe explains. “When they were confronted with girls’ self-assessments in cross-gender friendships, their math confidence tended to be lower.” Peers’ self-assessment was less relevant to girls’ math confidence. Their subjective evaluation seemed to be driven more by objective performance.

Gender stereotypes did not appear to have negative social consequences for either boys or girls. “We found that confidence in mathematics is often associated with better social integration, both in same-sex and cross-sex friendships,” said Raabe. Thus, there was no evidence of harmful peer norms pressuring girls to underestimate their math skills.

The results of the study suggest that math skills are more important to boys, who adjust their self-assessment in peer processes, while math confidence does not seem to be socially relevant for girls.