But, I hate math....

I hear it all the time... students who don't like math.. the correlation between what they like and what they do well in doesn't require extensive research, it is clear... so what impacts students' attitudes towards Math? I found a great article on that...

Factors Influencing Students' Attitudes Towards Math.... This is some great research and an excellent read. My daughter struggles with math in part because she doesn't enjoy it. I am seeking ways to help change that, but this research really helps put the attitudes of "math haters" in perspective.

You need not look far to sense that our current education system is in a state of upheaval. Proponents of Common Core Standards, Alberta’s Curriculum Redesign and the new BC Ed Plan have all placed mathematics in the limelight of educational reform. Addressing the development of negatives attitudes and confidence in mathematics is likely one of the biggest concerns in education today and there is certainly good reason for such concern. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealed a decrease in the percentage of students who indicated they like math from 1992 to 2000. Likewise, a survey by Olson (1998) revealed that one-third of students reported that they did not enjoy mathematics. With a rising resentment towards the subject, economists fear the work force will be impacted after research revealed that negative attitudes can decrease the tendency of individuals to consider careers in mathematics-related fields (Haladyna, Shaughnessy, & Shaughnessy, 1983; Maple & Stage, 1991; Trusty, 2002). In fact, further studies have shown that students’ attitudes toward mathematics were the strongest predictor of their participation in advanced mathematics courses (Ercikan, Mccreith, & Lapointe, 2005). In the field of mathematics education, this is nothing new. Educators as early as the 1960’s have held the belief that attitude plays a fundamental role in learning and achievement in mathematics (Neal, 1969) and while recent programs in BC and Alberta have identified the steps needed to generate a shift in attitude there is limited literature that summarizes the research about the causes of negative attitudes.

Read more at original source