A Survey on Problems of Dyscalculia in Primary Schools

Abstract

Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty faced by an individual. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of problems of dyscalculia in primary schools. The researchers employed quantitative design to carry out the study. Survey method is used to collect the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics are used to analyse the survey data. A study was conducted with 381 primary schools Mathematics teachers in Malaysia. Means and standard deviation were used to analyse the level of problems of dyscalculia, whereas independent t-test were used to compare the level of problems of dyscalculia between school locations. The results show that the level of problems of dyscalculia is medium high (M=3.31, σ=0.97). On the other hand, the problem of dyscalculia in rural area is slightly higher (M=3.822, σ=0.697) than the urban area (M=3.717, σ=0.696). In short, there is no significant difference for the level of problems of dyscalculia between different school locations (p=0.147, p>0.05). This study is able to bring significances to Ministry of Education Malaysia, educators, teachers, and researchers. The result is useful to determine the allocations of funding and resources for the students with learning difficulties. It is also able to create the awareness of dyscalculia among the people. As a conclusion, interventions and diagnosis need to be carried out in order to improve the capabilities of these pupils to the maximum.