Parents, not schools, hold the key to maths success

Image by Jürgen Eick from Pixabay.com Parental influence has a far greater impact on a child's attainment in mathematics than any factor related to school environment, a new study published today from the University of Sussex reveals. Parents' own academic ability and their relationship with their child are much stronger indicators of a pupil's likely success with the subject than a pupil's feelings towards their school or individual teachers, new research by psychologists at the University of Sussex indicates. The study authors were surprised at the absence of a significant association between school and teacher-related variables in primary education and maths attainment after finding no strong influence of positive school climate, warm student-teacher relationships or positive teacher characteristics on increased maths attainment. Lead author Danielle Evans , researcher in achievement in mathematics at the University of Sussex, said: "This series of studies have shown that parental influence is one of the strongest factors in predicting maths attainment for pupils but it does also highlight the importance for schools and teachers to create positive and fair teaching environments, particularly at secondary schools as students deal with the challenge of transition and the new school environment.' The research, the third in a series of papers published by the Royal Society , reveals that the most important school-related predictor of maths attainment in primary and secondary education, and the only factor explored in the research shown to be a statistically significant predictor of maths attainment in primary education, was children's attitudes towards the subject.