An recent analysis showed that students in countries that are high-performing in Math memorize less compared to their contemporaries in countries which are low-performing countries.
The analysis was made by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which conducts students assessments to 15-year old students around the world every three years revealed that they have discovered an interesting discovery related to math and memorization.
It is common belief that mastery of math skills require memorization. However, it is interesting to find out that those countries who have the highest math performers do not rely on memorization at all.
"For example, fewer students in East Asian countries reported that they use memorization as a learning strategy than did 15-year-olds in some of the English-speaking countries to whom they are often compared," an excerpt in the 93-page report said.
Some of the highest performing countries in math include Japan and Macao, China. The report said that mathematics instruction in East Asia has greatly changed throughout the years with students relying less in memorization or rote. On the other hand, the percentage of American students who said they do not use memorization have an OECD score that is just above average.
The survey gauged the use of memorization by asking questions, such as "When I study for a a mathematics test, I learn as much as I can by heart."
The survey also revealed that when students are most happy, they use memorization less as well. With happy, it is defined as the student having a positive attitude, confident about their math abilities, experience no or less anxiety in math, and highly motivated in solving mathematical problems. Aside from that, the study also revealed that boys memorize less than girls and these results are similar across all participating countries.
