Math Relevance to U.S. Middle School Students: A Survey Commissioned by Raytheon Company

Transcription

1 Math Relevance t U.S. Middle Schl Students: A Survey Cmmissined by Raythen Cmpany Survey Fielded: February 2012 Cmmissined by: Raythen Cmpany Research Cnducted by: Research Nw

2 Math Relevance t U.S. Middle Schl Students: A Survey Cmmissined by Raythen Cmpany Table f Cntents: 1) Research Methdlgy 2 2) Executive Summary 3 3) Survey Findings 4 I. Math in the Classrm 4 II. Math at Hme 5 III. Math in the Real Wrld 6 IV. Fun Facts 7 V. Students in Washingtn, D.C. 8 Research Methdlgy: The survey was fielded in February 2012 by independent research firm Research Nw. Results are based n a natinal sample f 1,000 U.S. middle schl students ages years ld. The survey carries a margin f errr f +/- 3 percent fr the ttal sample. Cpyright 2012 Raythen Cmpany 2

3 Math Relevance t U.S. Middle Schl Students: A Survey Cmmissined by Raythen Cmpany Executive Summary: The challenge f engaging and educating middle schl students abut the value and relevance f math is a natinal fcus and fr gd reasn. The mst recent PISA data (Prgramme fr Internatinal Student Assessment, 2009) shws U.S. students rank 31st in the wrld in math perfrmance. Accrding t OECD (Organisatin fr Ecnmic C-peratin and Develpment), the U.S. ranks 23rd amng develped natins in the number f science and engineering graduates. Meanwhile, jb grwth in STEM (science, technlgy, engineering and math) fields is utpacing nn-stem-related jb grwth by 300 percent (U.S. Department f Cmmerce, Ecnmics and Statistics Administratin). Raythen Cmpany cmmissined an independent study t determine the learning preferences and habits f U.S. middle schl students and pinpint their perceptins and attitudes abut the rle math plays in the classrm and at hme as well as the imprtance f math t their futures. Key findings include: In the Classrm 70 percent f respndents said they like math In fact, math and science are subjects that students said they favr ver scial studies, English and freign language Students enjy cmputer class almst as much as math class 85 percent f middle schl students prefer hands-n, interactive activities r cmputer-based lessns t mre traditinal appraches such as textbks when it cmes t learning At Hme Almst half f students (48 percent) reprted that they enjy learning abut math utside f schl. Yet, many students wuld rather perfrm unpleasant tasks than d their math hmewrk; fr example, 44 percent f respndents wuld rather take ut the trash than d math hmewrk. Students reprt spending almst eight hurs per day in frnt f a screen interacting with technlgy such as cmputers, tablets, smartphnes and televisins, althugh less than tw hurs f this screen time is related t schl and hmewrk Students reprt spending an average f 30 minutes per day n scial netwrks, including Facebk and Twitter When asked which parent has better math skills, respndents were 64 percent mre likely t answer their father than their mther At the same time, when asked wh they think is better at math Selena Gmez r Justin Bieber an verwhelming majrity (76 percent) went with the female pp star In their Futures 58 percent f respndents believe math will be imprtant t their future The vast majrity f students recgnize the rle math plays in certain careers invlving technlgy (e.g., building rbts, bridges, smartphnes) and mney (e.g., running a restaurant) Students d nt assciate math with certain careers that require precise calculatins. Fr example, less than half f students (47 percent) see a need fr math in engineering sprts gear such as a skatebard, and a mere 38 percent are aware that math skills play an imprtant rle in fashin design. Cpyright 2012 Raythen Cmpany 3

4 Math Relevance t U.S. Middle Schl Students: A Survey Cmmissined by Raythen Cmpany Survey Findings: I. Math in the Classrm 70 percent f respndents like math Hw students prefer t learn new subjects: 48 percent hands-n activities 37 percent educatinal cmputer games/cmputer-based lessns 11 percent lectures and textbks 4 percent vide lessns/educatinal mvies Favrite subject in schl: 15 percent math 11 percent science (tied with music) 8 percent scial studies Favrite Subject in Schl: Cpyright 2012 Raythen Cmpany 4

5 Math Relevance t U.S. Middle Schl Students: A Survey Cmmissined by Raythen Cmpany II. Math at Hme 48 percent f students reprt they enjy learning abut math utside f schl 54 percent f students believe their fathers are better at math than their mthers cmpared t nly 33 percent f students wh believe their mthers are the mre skilled mathematicians. An additinal 13 percent believe bth parents are abut the same. Middle schl students spend an average f 7.9 hurs per day interacting with media technlgy such as cmputers, tablets, smartphnes and televisins Students use a cmputer fr an average f 1.8 hurs per day fr hmewrk and classwrk cmbined 51 percent f students spend an hur r mre n mbile devices, texting r using Web-based applicatins per day On average, students spend 43 minutes per day n tablets such as the ipad Cpyright 2012 Raythen Cmpany 5

6 Math Relevance t U.S. Middle Schl Students: A Survey Cmmissined by Raythen Cmpany III. Math in the Real Wrld 58 percent f respndents believe math will be imprtant fr their future Only 47 percent f students think strng math skills are necessary t design a skatebard 62 percent f respndents are nt aware math skills play an imprtant rle in designing clthing 94 percent f students recgnize math is required t build a bridge 92 percent f students recgnize math is invlved in the creatin f a rbt 89 percent f students recgnize math is required t run a restaurant Tw-thirds f students did nt realize math plays an imprtant rle in phtgraphy D Yu Need t Be Gd at Math if Yu Wanted t Design a: Is Math Invlved in the Fllwing Activities? Cpyright 2012 Raythen Cmpany 6

7 Math Relevance t U.S. Middle Schl Students: A Survey Cmmissined by Raythen Cmpany IV. Fun Facts 76 percent f students think Selena Gmez is better at math than Justin Bieber > 85 percent f students can identify Lady Gaga, while nly 66 percent can identify Albert Einstein > 56 percent f students wuld rather eat brccli than d math hmewrk Math < Eat Brccli 44 percent wuld rather take ut the trash than d math hmewrk Math < Cpyright 2012 Raythen Cmpany 7

8 Math Relevance t U.S. Middle Schl Students: A Survey Cmmissined by Raythen Cmpany V. Students in Washingtn, D.C. 62 percent f D.C. students like math 48 percent f D.C. students indicate that hands-n activities and experiments are their preferred methd fr learning new subject matter 45 percent f D.C. students enjy learning math utside f the classrm 58 percent f D.C. students believe their fathers are better at math than their mthers 61 percent f D.C. students reprt spending an hur r mre in frnt f the cmputer fr activities nt related t schl Students frm the D.C. metr area listed their favrite subjects as art, music, physical educatin and math all f which can be experienced at MathAlive! Cpyright 2012 Raythen Cmpany 8