This week, Scottish schools are celebrating Maths Week Scotland, which was introduced to help transform public attitudes to the subject following a 2016 report that concluded the nation had “a maths problem” that was “holding our country back”.
Now, new research - shared exclusively with Tes Scotland - finds that pupils’ attitudes to maths are improving but “it is also clear that maths anxiety remains an issue”.
The survey of almost 6,500 pupils, split fairly evenly across primary and secondary, finds that 45 per cent of pupils feel nervous or anxious about maths and over a third feel more nervous about maths than any other subject (38 per cent).
Carried out by Winning Scotland, a charity that aims to build confidence and resilience, the survey also finds that girls are more likely to feel anxious about maths than boys (44 per cent, against 31 per cent).
More heartening is the proportion of pupils who report that they believe they can be really good at maths. Overall, that figure was 82 per cent, with primary pupils more likely to report this (86 per cent) than secondary (79 per cent).
The researchers conclude: “In many respects, the results from the survey were positive, suggesting that efforts put in so far by Scottish government, Education Scotland, schools, teachers and others to help improve attitudes to maths are having a positive impact.
“However, it is also clear that maths anxiety remains an issue, although there are clear signs that interventions can be effective across both genders and all stages.”
The researchers say that effective interventions include encouraging “mathematical freedom in our classrooms” - persuading pupils to be creative and explore different approaches to solving problems - and “increasing self-belief of teachers and pupils with regard to maths”.
The Making Maths Count group which reported in 2016, was set up by the Scottish government to consider how to encourage greater enthusiasm for maths among children and young people.
It made 10 recommendations designed to transform public attitudes to maths, as well as improve confidence among teachers and pupils, and promote the relevance of the subject for every career.
It called for the Scottish government to “work with partners to develop jointly and fund a Maths Week Scotland”, as well as for a higher level of maths qualification for entry to initial teacher education and access to professional learning “to increase staff confidence and enhance professional practices in teaching maths”.
Zahra Hedges, chief executive of Winning Scotland, said: “With the current reviews of education in Scotland taking place, we wanted to ensure that the voices of young people remain front and centre. By combining those voices with research, we hope to give evidence and confidence to those teachers and education staff who are already working really hard to improve outcomes for their young people.
“It’s fantastic that eight out of 10 pupils know they could be really good at maths, so we have to ensure that the classroom and wider environment enables that learning to happen.”
She added: “Maths is a core subject, in school and in life, and we need to allow all our children to engage with it effectively for as long as we can. We know that there’s no such thing as a ‘maths brain’ and that, with the right strategies and mindset, anyone can achieve in the subject. And if we want to live in a fairer, more prosperous Scotland, it’s crucial that we get this right.”
