Is Math Actually Hard or

Are You Afraid of It?

Juliana Dangond
 Thesis
Math may seem difficult for many students
because of imposed stereotypes, poor
foundations, or math-related traumas.
 Articles
Researched
Link

Articles Researched
GradePower Learning is an well-known
academic site that offers quality academic
after school programs for students of all
grades and ages. It has 25 tutoring locations
in the United States.

The author of the article “Why Do Students

Struggle With Math?” is unknown.
Link

Articles Researched
The Conversation is a non-profit digital news
media that reports on current trending news
issues of interest in subjects ranging from
education to public interest.

The author of the article “Think you’re bad

at math? You may suffer from ‘math
trauma’” is unknown.
Link

Articles Researched
The Dyslexia Association provides a large
variety of expert and high quality information
to directly improve the lives of dyslexics
internationally.They provide assistance and
raise awareness on dyslexia and dyscalculia.

The author of the article “What are the

signs of Dyscalculia” is unknown.
Link

Articles Researched
Understood.org is an initiative that has
helped millions of families who have children
that think differently. It has also helped
thousands of people with disabilities find
jobs at inclusive companies.

The authors of “Math Anxiety vs Dyscalculia

in Kids: Comparing the Signs” are The
Understood Team, a group of authors from
understood.org
Link

Articles Researched
ThoughtCo is a reference site that publishes
expert-created education content. ThoughtCo won
the Communicator Award in the General Education
category and the Davey Award in the education
category.

Grace Fleming, ThoughtCo author of “Why Math Is

More Difficult for Some Students”, is a senior
academic advisor at Georgia Southern University.
She has also led various academic seminars on
study skills and pre-college subjects.
Link

Articles Researched
WebMD is well-known american human
health and well-being news media and
publisher. It’s one of the top healthcare
websites founded in 1996.

Jennifer Warner, author of “Bad Memories

Easier to Remember”, is a California doctor
specialized in physical medicine and
rehabilitation.
Link

Articles Researched
Live Science is a science news website whose
stories are usually syndicated to larger news outlets
such as Fox News and MSNBC. Live Science features
groundbreaking science, space, technology, health,
environment, culture, and history developments.

Andrea Thompson, author of “Bad Memories Stick

Better Than Good”, has a Bachelor of Science in
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and a masters in
the same subject. She was a writer and reporter for
Live Science, Space.com, Fox News, PBS
NewsHour, Discovery News, Scientific American,
People Magazine, amongst others.
Link

Articles Researched
Simply Psychology is an online guide for
students about psychology, educators, and
enthusiasts. It includes articles, statistics,
theories, research methods, and approaches
on psychology.

Michele Marenus, author of “Gardner’s

Theory of Multiple Intelligences”, is a
research assistant at the Ecological
Approaches to Social and Emotional
Learning Lab at the Harvard Graduate
School of Education.
Fun Facts I
Dyscalculia
Found in My Difficulty in understanding numbers and working mathematical
concepts, as a result of a brain disorder. It can be caused by genes and

Research
heredity.

93 %
of Americans experience some level of math anxiety.

Math Trauma
According to Dr. Kasi Allen, “Math trauma stems from an event, a series of events, or a set of circumstances experienced
by an individual as harmful or threatened such that there are lasting adverse effects on the individual's functioning and
well-being in the perceived presence of mathematics.”

Math Anxiety
Anxiety can be obtained from math through lack of confidence, feelings
of failure, fear, anxiety, or pressure.
Why Should We Talk About This?
Millions of students around the world struggle with
math.

Math has many unjust and false stereotypes that

prevent students from succeeding in the subject.

Math is all around us and is seen in our everyday lives.

Many people aren’t involved in STEM careers because

they believe “math isn’t their thing”.

People who might have potential in math are stopped

by their fears and negative mindsets.
 Reasons to Believe My Thesis
Math is one of the most influenced subjects
and one of the subjects that has the most
stereotypes.

Math will be needed in K-12 education,

trillions of people learn math everyday.

We will always need math, and the more the

negative connotations are associated with
the subject the less people will want to be
involved.
 Possible Opposing Claims
People are bad at math because they are born
with different strengths, and math just doesn’t
happen to be one of them.

Math difficulty can be due to an unknown

mathematical disability such as dyscalculia.

Math is actually too difficult, it requires an

overwhelming amount of concentration, logic,
and reasoning that not many have.
 What Should We Do?

Encourage students to not

Try and reduce math stereotypes in
settle for a low grade in our community and try to look at
math from an early age the subject with an open mindset.

Offer math-specific Educating young learners on

psychology sessions for
students struggling with math
to try and avoid math trauma
scars.
the importance of
understanding the
processes, not memorize
functions.
RESOURCES
https://creativemaths.net/blog/maths-trauma-can-be-healed/#:~:text
=Dr%20Allen%20gives%20the%20following,the%20perceived%20prese
nce%20of%20mathematics.%E2%80%9D

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wE4wUInYyOlvh2LCFVJ-cvOBA
RRHlMX7wnOhEdDJKSk/edit?usp=sharing

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+dyscalculia&oq=what+i
s+dyscalculia&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7.8708j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie
=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on