It’s not the school but the parental influence that plays a crucial role in a child’s successful elementary school math learning, a recent study from the University of Sussex found.
According to university psychologists, parents ’own studies and their relationship with the child are much stronger predictors of the mathematical success of the little students than the child’s feelings about the school or individual teachers.
The authors of the study were surprised that there is no significant relationship between school and teacher-related skills and the acquisition of mathematics among primary school students. The positive school atmosphere, the loving student-teacher relationship, and the good qualities of the teacher did not increase the success of learning math either.
The research, called ALSPAC, was based on interviews with about 7,000 children.
Elementary school kids who love math go a year ahead in their knowledge than those who don’t like the subject by the time they become high school students.
The students ’responses showed that high school students perform better in math if they feel that their teacher is fair to all their classmates, but their results are not significantly affected by the teacher’s knowledge even if they have been taught by a teacher judged by the children to be good. he is very at home in his subject and tries to convey it interestingly, to highlight its significance.
While the authors of the study did not find a significant correlation between the school environment and mathematics knowledge in primary education, in high school, the experiences gained by children had a greater impact on subject success.
“Our research has shown that parental influence is one of the strongest factors in students’ math learning and has revealed the importance of a positive and fair educational environment, especially in high school, ”Danielle Evans, lead author of the study, was quoted as saying by the university.
(Source: marmalade.co.hu; MTI | Image: pixabay.com)