I saw this in a non-scientific way at school. I’d have a young person who hated maths, and they had wholly given up. Time after time at parents evening the parent would say things like:

‘I hate maths’

‘I can’t do maths’

‘I was never any good at maths’

I couldn’t prove that the parents’ attitudes were affecting their child’s attitude and performance… But teachers know things and my gut instinct told me this was true. So when I came across this article from the National Numeracy charity, I was not surprised.

Other people were saying it too. The study, operated by Newcastle University, assessed the parents’ attitudes before and after a course on learning behaviours, and compared it with their childrens’ attainment. The study was indeed a success and the school with whom the study was conducted, which was in a deprived area and part of an Education Action Zone, sought to continue the programme after the study had ended.

It just goes to show though, once a parent’s attitude towards maths or in fact any learning improves, not only can they help their children with their maths, but with a higher self-esteem and positivity around learning this rubs off and the child improves too.