A major international study has found that most teachers receive little or no training in dyscalculia, a maths learning difficulty that affects around one in 20 children.
The research, led by Loughborough University, surveyed 1,323 education professionals across the UK, Italy, Vietnam and South Africa and found widespread gaps in training and understanding of dyscalculia – a neurodevelopmental condition that emerges in the early years of schooling and affects how children understand numbers and develop basic mathematical skills.
Although most UK educators had heard of dyscalculia, only 42% said they clearly understood it. Just 3% received training during initial teacher education, and only 20% had completed any relevant additional training once in post.
“Our results showed that access to training in the UK was similar to our comparison countries of Vietnam and South Africa, and lower than in Italy,” said lead author Dr Alison Roulstone, a Research Associate in Loughborough University’s Department of Mathematics Education.
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