Why Do Students Struggle With Math?

Mathematics has also earned a reputation for being the most challenging subject in school. However, there are two types of people, those who love math and those that hate and struggle with math.  Then some students suffer from math anxiety, making it hard for them to excel in the subject regardless of how much they have prepared. Nevertheless, recent studies report that 37% of teens consider math to be the most challenging subject in school.

Are you wondering why your child struggles so much with math but excels in other subjects? Keep reading!

5 Common Reasons Why your Child Could be Struggling with Math:

Attention Problems

Math, especially in higher grades, involves multi-step problems requiring students to perform consecutive steps before finding a solution.  Students need to have undivided attention and focus in class to completely understand how to solve the issues. It is probable that your child gets distracted or loses focus when learning complex math problems.  As such, they miss out on some crucial steps in the problem-solving process. Attention difficulties make it impossible for students to solve math problems they had learned earlier in class. Students must remain focused in math to successfully revisit concepts and translate them correctly.

Learning Disorders

Different types of learning disorders can cause your child to struggle with math.  

• Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that causes a student to have trouble doing basic math or learning math facts.
• Math anxiety causes otherwise good performers to freeze on a math test, driving them to either misread or complete fewer questions.
• ADHD makes it hard for students to pay attention in class, affecting their math skills.
• Visual processing disorder causes students to struggle with math problems that require spatial reasoning, such as reading tables and geometry.

Limited Practice

Your child could struggle with math because they don't have enough time to practice math concepts.  Other students assume that they have understood a concept in class, and therefore they don't attempt to do it later on their own.  Such students later struggle with the process, especially if the same problem is on a test.  It is common for students to feel confident after watching their teacher explain a concept, only to face challenges later when trying to do it independently.  Your child can only improve their math skills through practice and patience. At Kids on the Yard, we identify the areas where your child is struggling and focus on closing the learning gaps.

They believe in the myth that “math is hard.”

If you keep speaking negatively of math and constantly refer to it as "hard," your child will believe you.  The belief that the subject is complex causes learners to give up whenever they encounter a challenge quickly.  A negative mindset can cause your child to be less motivated, perform poorly, and have reduced confidence in class.

Memorizing concepts over understanding them.

Most students memorize formulas and concepts rather than understand them. While this may last for a while, it is short-lived since information is only stored in short-term memory.   A child who crams or memorize concepts also experiences challenges once they encounter new problems and when concepts become more complex.