Study Finds Math Least Popular Subject Among Middle Schoolers (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Mathematics has emerged as the least popular subject among South Korean middle school students, even as families spend more on private math tutoring than on any other discipline, according to a new national education study.
A survey released Wednesday by the Korea Educational Development Institute found that math ranked last among seven core subjects in both student interest and self-confidence, despite leading all subjects in private education participation.
The study, based on responses from roughly 25,000 middle school students nationwide, showed that math scored 59.2 out of 100 in subject interest — the lowest among major courses. Physical education ranked highest, followed by arts, Korean language and science-related subjects.
Students’ interest in math declined steadily with each grade level, falling from 61.0 in first grade to 57.8 by third grade. Girls reported significantly lower interest than boys, a gap that persisted across all regions regardless of city size.
Math also recorded the weakest results in “academic self-efficacy,” a measure of students’ confidence in their ability to perform well. Scores dropped sharply as students advanced in grade, and again showed a wide gender divide.
Korea’s Math Dilemma: Low Confidence, High Costs (Yonhap)
Yet the subject dominated private education. Among more than 16,000 parents surveyed, nearly 88 percent said their children received private math instruction — a higher rate than for English and nearly triple that for Korean language and essay writing.
Spending was substantial. About 43 percent of families reported monthly math tutoring costs exceeding 300,000 won, while most others spent at least 200,000 won. Parents cited remedial learning and advanced or preemptive study as the main reasons, with few viewing math tutoring as enrichment or personal development.
The findings echo recent surveys by civic education groups showing that roughly one in three middle school students — and four in ten high school students — say they want to give up studying math altogether.
Education advocates argue that the results highlight structural problems in Korea’s math curriculum. “The rapid increase in difficulty and excessive learning volume place an overwhelming burden on students,” said the group No Private Education Worries, calling for fundamental reforms.
The contrast — between widespread disengagement in the classroom and heavy reliance on private tutoring — underscores growing concerns that math education in Korea is deepening inequality while eroding students’ motivation and confidence at an early age.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
