80% maths teachers in India, Middle East falter on basic mathematical questions: Study

New Delhi: Nearly 80 per cent of in-service math teachers across India and the Middle East falter on basic concepts such as ratio, proportional reasoning, algebraic reasoning, estimation and logical reasoning, according to a new study.

The study assessed over 1300 in-service mathematics teachers of classes 3, 4, 5 and 6 students across 152 schools in India, UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia over two years.

The study titled "Analysis of In-Service Mathematics Teachers' Subject Knowledge and Misconceptions on Primary and Middle-Grade Mathematics Concepts" was conducted by Ei, a leading EdTech company.

During the study, 1357 teachers undertook the TIPS (Teacher Impact Programmes) - Math Subject Knowledge - Level 1 assessment, which not only measures teachers’ subject and pedagogical knowledge but also shares detailed reports with the test-takers and school principals.

Among those who took the assessment, 80 per cent of the teachers were from India, 18 per cent from UAE and 1 per cent each from Oman and Saudi Arabia.

According to the study, 75 per cent of teachers struggled to answer 50 per cent of the questions correctly and a mere 25 per cent could accurately answer only 25 per cent of the questions asked.

"A staggering 80 per cent faltered on concepts such as ratio, proportional reasoning, algebraic reasoning, estimation, and logical reasoning - skills crucial for real-life problem-solving. While 73.3 per cent of the teachers answered grade 4 questions correctly, only 36.7 per cent could answer the questions based on grade 7 topics," the report said.

"This parallel between teacher and student misconceptions is particularly alarming, suggesting a cyclical challenge in mathematical education where errors may be perpetuated through generations of learners," it added.

The report noted that misunderstandings were also found in geometric concepts, where 32.9 per cent of teachers erroneously believed that the perimeter of a shape formed by joining parts is simply the sum of the perimeters of those parts, indicating a lack of understanding of basic geometric properties.

"A considerable proportion of teachers (36.3 per cent) demonstrated a misunderstanding in ordering decimals, incorrectly comparing the decimal part of numbers as whole numbers, which showcases a fundamental misconception in understanding place value and the properties of decimals," it said.

Misconceptions surrounding probability were notable, with 16.4 per cent and 25.9 per cent of teachers incorrectly asserting that the probability of an event cannot be a fraction or a decimal or erroneously stating that it cannot be 0 or 1. "This study serves as a wakeup call for our education system, which has long prioritized rote learning, leading to deep-rooted academic misconceptions passed down through generations of learners. India's low ranking of 72 out of 73 countries in the PISA assessment underscores the prevalence of rote memorization in classrooms and widening gap in conceptual understanding caused by familiar textbook-style questions," said Sridhar Rajagopalan, Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer (CLO).

"The skills students acquire are heavily influenced by the types of questions they encounter, with rote learning undermining critical and creative thinking. While the NEP 2020 represents a positive policy step, schools and teachers must now take responsibility for upskilling and breaking this cycle. The evolving demands of the modern world necessitate an education that fosters critical thinking and innovation, requiring educators to lead by example with the necessary skills," he added.