Students Deterred by 'Geeky' Image of Maths
Monday 12 May 2008Comment on this article Permlink
The ‘geeky’ image of maths and mathematicians stops people from studying the subject or using it in later life, according to research published today.
The survey, part of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded study, shows that students think of mathematicians as old, white, middle-class men who are obsessed with their subject, lack social skills and have no personal life outside maths.
Students’ views of maths itself included narrow and inaccurate images that are often limited to numbers and basic arithmetic and are largely based on a negative portrayal of the subject in popular culture, the research found.
The notion of mathematicians as geeks was common among those who identified with the subject and those who did not. Students who chose to continue studying maths for A-level or at university were more likely to regard this obsession as indicating skill, commitment or devotion than madness.
Some mathematics undergraduates – particularly males – gave positive value to geek status, even though several went to considerable lengths to claim their own normality.
The researchers – Dr Heather Mendick and Marie-Pierre Moreau from London Metropolitan University and Prof Debbie Epstein from Cardiff University – suggest using popular culture to boost the image of maths.
Mendick, who led the project, said: “Given the narrow, negative cliches associated with maths and mathematicians, it is hardly surprising that relatively few young people want to continue with the subject.
“This raises two important issues: first, we can see how popular culture is deterring many people from enjoying maths and wanting to carry on with it and, second, it raises issues in relation to social justice as these images are mainly of white, middle-class men and so may discourage other groups disproportionately.”
The number of people in England and Wales choosing to study maths has been in decline in the last decade, despite rising numbers since 2006, which has led to concern from government, business and the education sector.
The former science minister, Lord David Sainsbury, underlined the importance of increasing the number of maths and science students and highly trained scientists and engineers in his review of the government’s science policies last year.
Funding for projects at King’s College London, the Institute of Education and the universities of Cambridge and Leeds considering issues such as curriculum reform, classroom organisation and assessment methods and the use of a range of different media within classrooms were announced today.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families, the research councils, the Institute of Physics and the Gatsby Foundation have given £3m for the five projects to get more secondary school pupils interested in maths and science.
Source: EducationGuardian.co.uk
