The hatred for the Mathematics of the children has origin in its parents
The Maths they are one of the subjects that traditionally have more fame than being hated by students. The number of numbers it contains and the time it sometimes takes to solve their problems make students prefer to dedicate their hours to other academic tasks.
Although this rejection could be hereditary. This is indicated by the I Barometer "The Learning of Mathematics in Spain". This report has deepened the relationship that parents had with this subject and how it can influence the approach that their children have in the present to this subject.
Minimal help to study Mathematics
In order to know this relation between the past of the parents and the taste for the Mathematics of the children, this investigation realized a total of 1,200 surveys parents and children between 6 and 14 years of Spain. With these questionnaires it was tried to analyze the taste of each one of them for this subject and the influence that the adults could have based on their past with this subject.
In this way, one out of every three parents recognized that their relationship with Mathematics was quite hard at the time and they rejected it. For this reason, they recognize that at present the help they can provide their children is minimal since they currently retain part of this reluctance to this subject. This causes that although six out of ten adults affirm to collaborate with the children when they have difficulties with this matter, this work does not contribute anything since their work is reduced simply to watch that the minors do their homework.
This lack of help ends up causing their children to finish frustrated by not being able to solve these mathematical problems they find in their duties. That is, the rejection of this subject is hereditary in this way passing from parents to children.
The importance of Mathematics
However, one thing is rejection and another attraction that this subject can generate. According to this study, half of Spaniards give importance to Mathematics since they consider them as an important social engine that allows those who manage to succeed in them to achieve important achievements in their academic career. That is to say, the population of this research believes that the managerial positions are occupied by people who obtained good grades in this matter.
In addition, 61% of parents consider that mathematics is an important subject for the future of their children and believe that it is not enough to learn what the school teaches, but it must be reinforced in the hours extracurricular.
This study also confirms that Spanish families rely on Mathematics teachers to teach their children. A 78% of parents believes that the preparation and level of these teachers is adequate. Also, more than half of the parents, 55%, think that any child can love and understand this matter if a good professional helps them understand them.
Damián Montero
