Industry News
Image of maths "offputting"
Posted on 12th May 2008
The "geeky" image of maths prevents children from wanting to make a career out of it and adults from using it later in life, a study has found.
Research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) found that many students associated maths with old, white middle-aged men who are obsessed with the subject and possess no social skills or personal life.
In the course of the last decade the number of students in England and Wales choosing to study maths has been in decline.
However, researchers have suggested that using popular culture could help to popularise the subject's image.
Project leader Dr Heather Mendick said: "Given the narrow, negative clichés associated with maths and mathematicians, it is hardly surprising that relatively few young people want to continue with the subject."
The study also found that groups who did not fit into the white male image of a mathematician may feel discouraged from wanting to study it.