Why Do College Students Struggle with Math?

If there is one thing that is true for many college students these days, it is that they have a hard time with more complex math concepts. While the reasons for this may vary from student to student, there are many factors that appear to be common among many college students across the country. To better figure out how to help students, we must first figure out what the issues are. Let’s take a look at some of the common reasons why many college students struggle to do their math assignments.

Math Builds Upon Previous Concepts

One of the biggest hurdles in learning new math concepts is the understanding of previous concepts. Whenever a new math concept is introduced, it is building upon concepts that have been learned previously. It is this continuous learning of new material that will help students successfully complete their math class. Students can often be embarrassed to ask questions or admit they don’t fully understand something, making the learning of new math concepts even more difficult. This only becomes worse as time progresses and students fall more and more behind their peers.

Students May Not Understand the Why of Concept

In elementary school, it is common to use memorization as a replacement for actual learning. Things such as multiplication tables and other easy to remember tools can fool students into thinking they have actually learned why 5 x 5 is 25. This leads to the not understanding of future math concepts and the feelings of inadequacy that lead to not asking questions.

Learning or Attention Issues

In some cases, it is not the fault of a student or teacher, but more a natural hurdle that must be worked around. Attention issues and some learning issues make the complex math concepts presented in later school years very tough to truly understand and perform. It could be the student’s mind wandering during key concept lessons or not being able to fully grasp each step involved. Either way, these issues can lead to more and more confusion and frustration as lessons go on.

Math Can Take Practice

Math isn’t fun or easy. For some more complex math concepts, it takes repetition and practice to fully grasp them and be able to competently move on to the next. This repetition is not a fun thing for most students, and when things get tougher, some tend to just give up. There is no easy way around this and no cool memorization techniques that will replace the work it takes to learn some math concepts. Get help with your homework.

Not Realizing the Importance of Math Concepts to Daily Life

It does not take long to realize how important math is to our everyday lives once we leave school, and in some cases well before that. Still, students never fully appreciate this until it is too late. Oftentimes, we will hear “When am I going to use this?” If a student cannot get a real-world comparison of the math concepts they struggle with, their willingness to work to understand them will only decline.

These are only a few of the pressing issues that lead to struggling with math concepts. Every student learns differently and at different rates. If you have a student struggling with math, use a variety of teaching techniques to see what is most effective for your situation.