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Disconnected from math, students call for real-world relevance, survey reveals

According to fielded by RAND's new American Youth Panel (AYP), 49% of students in middle and high school grades reported losing interest in math about half or more of the time, and 75% of youths reported losing interest for at least some class time.

Loss of interest in math is consistent across genders and racial and ethnic groups.

In the fall of 2024, RAND asked youths in grades 5 through 12 about their math class experiences with plans to measure these math attitudes annually to track trends over time. This nationally representative report was fielded to a group of almost 2,000 youths aged 12–21 who regularly completed surveys via email and text message about their attitudes, behaviors, school experiences, and other issues affecting their lives.

Thirty percent of middle and high school students said that they have never considered themselves a "math person." Those who did identify as math people developed this view during elementary school, suggesting that elementary school math teachers have a large role in cultivating positive math attitudes.

"Student feedback offers one of many likely reasons for the slow post-pandemic recovery: students are frequently bored with math," said Heather L. Schwartz, vice president and director of RAND Education and Labor.

"Although boredom is not unique to math, routine boredom is a problem. These findings emphasize the importance of boosting student engagement to improve academic outcomes."

The RAND survey also found that students who lose interest in math often want fewer online activities and more real-world applications in their math classes.

"It may sound surprising in today's high-tech environment, but online math activities might be less motivating than face-to-face instruction," said Robert Bozick, senior research scientist at RAND, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization.

"This emphasizes the need for high-quality math instruction, and we suggest a mix of engaging math activities combining face-to-face teacher-student interactions with a mix of offline and online activities and the use of more real-world applications in the classroom."