Around 50 percent of students experience math anxiety in the US

Around half of the students in the United States experience math anxiety, a study said, Bam Alegre reported on GMA’s News to Go on Wednesday.

 

This apprehension when it comes to mathematics isn’t just limited to the US, however.

In the Philippines, sometimes it is even used as a form of punishment, such as the case of Macmac Moreno.

Moreno’s mother used arithmetic as a form of discipline and Moreno eventually became proficient enough to join math competitions.

 

According to math professor and psychologist Dr. Queena Lee-Chua, this fear of mathematics is not natural and is probably learned.

Estrella Licerio, who’s been a public school math teacher for more than 10 years, explains that a bad experience in elementary school, like not understanding basic concepts, may be one reason why high school students dislike math.

 

In Spain, students are being encouraged to play at least one hour of chess per week, which supposedly improves students’ math performance by 30 percent.

 

Licerio said that to help students appreciate mathematics, teachers need to help them understand the real life practical applications of math. —Bea Montenegro/KG, GMA News