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Why Kids Still Need to Learn Algebra

A lack of math education negatively affects brain development, new study shows.

Key points

  • It is increasingly popular to question the need for an education in mathematics. Some school systems have already lightened their curriculums.
  • A new study questions these practices and suggests that a lack of math education negatively affects adolescent brain and cognitive development.
  • Students who cease math education have lower levels of the neurotransmitter GABA, which is important for many brain processes, the study shows.

Within the last few years, it has become increasingly popular for educators, social scientists, and even politicians to question the necessity of an education in mathematics. In his popular 2016 book, The Math Myth: And Other STEM Delusions, Andrew Hacker advocates for the removal of algebra and calculus from high school and college curriculums. Hacker's position is largely premised on the idea that few professionals, other than perhaps mathematicians and engineers, actually use advanced math in their day-to-day work.

Hacker is but one of numerous voices calling for similar scholastic reforms. For example, the chancellor of the California Community Colleges System, a system of colleges enrolling more than two million students statewide, recently suggested that algebra should no longer be required to earn an associate degree. As these opinions gain momentum, some real-world changes have started to manifest. In 2018, the California State University system removed algebra as a requirement needed for graduation for some non-science majors. Currently, the California Department of Education and the Seattle Public Schools system are wrestling with new and significant reforms in their math curriculums, potentially resulting in significant shifts in not only how students learn math, but also how much they will be required to learn.

Math Education May Affect the Adolescent Brain

However, a recent study, titled "The impact of a lack of mathematical education on brain development and future attainment," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that we should think twice before calling for an end to algebra.

The study examined 133 students in the United Kingdom aged 14 to 18. Unlike in the United States, students in the U.K. can choose to cease additional education in math after they turn 16. This unique situation allowed researchers to match students raised in similar environments and compare those who stopped their math education with those who continued into advanced study (including domains such as algebra, trigonometry, and calculus). Utilizing a series of fMRI and MR spectroscopy measurements (i.e., brain scans) targeting the pre-frontal cortex, the study found that students who ceased their math education had lower concentrations of gamma-Aminobutyric acid ("GABA"), a key neurotransmitter involved in important developmental cognitive functions such as reasoning, problem-solving, memory, and learning. Notably, differences in GABA levels were not present before students stopped studying math and only emerged after scholastic paths diverged. The differences in GABA concentrations also predicted math attainment scores 19 months after the experiment concluded.

 Zacharopoulos, Sella, & Kadosh, (2021), used with permission
GABA associated with frontoparietal functional connectivity and predicts future math performance.
Source: Zacharopoulos, Sella, & Kadosh, (2021), used with permission

Although the causal mechanism between math education and GABA concentration remains unclear, the association itself is potentially quite important and certainly warrants further study. As mentioned, GABA, the brain's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, has been shown in numerous studies to affect domains such as learning (Trepel & Racine, 2000), synaptic plasticity (Lunghi et al., 2015), and even developing motor functions (O’Shea et al., 2017). Put simply, it is possible that continued math education can have significant effects on adolescent brains, far and above simply preparing students for careers in science.

As stated by Roi Cohen Kadosh, one of the authors of the study, "Sadly, the opportunity to stop studying maths at this age seems to lead to a gap between adolescents who stop their maths education compared to those who continue it." Today, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited access to education for countless students. With regard to math, estimates suggest that most students have learned only 67 percent as much as they normally would in a regular academic year. These gaps in attainment have been even worse for students of color. Thus, as a pandemic continues to stifle educational progress, and curriculum reforms seek to reign in math requirements, it is more pressing than ever to truly understand the significance of math education as it relates to the brain and cognitive development.

References

Zacharopoulos, G., Sella, F., & Cohen Kadosh, R. (2021). The impact of a lack of mathematical education on brain development and future attainment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(24).

Trepel C, Racine RJ. 2000. GABAergic modulation of neocortical long-term potentiation in the freely moving rat. Synapse, 35, 120–128.

Lunghi C, Emir UE, Morrone MC, Bridge H. 2015. Short-term monocular deprivation alters GABA in the adult human visual cortex. Current Biology 25, 1496–1501.

O’Shea J, Revol P, Cousijn H, Near J, Petitet P, Jacquin-Courtois S, Johansen-Berg H, Rode G, Rossetti Y. 2017. Induced sensorimotor cortex plasticity remediates chronic treatment-resistant visual neglect. eLife 6, e26602.

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