Departments
Lesson 13: The Declining Mathematics Skills of University Students
An editorial in the Kyoto Shimbun bemoaned the declining mathematics skills among university students:
全国の大学生を対象に計算問題を解かせたところ、いわゆる有名大学生でも、大学入試科目で数学を選ばなければ、分数や少数にも四苦八苦している姿が浮き彫りになった。数学が苦手な受験生だった私も「この段階も理解できないのか」と衝撃的な結果だった。
Original Japanese Source: Kyoto Shimbun
Zenkoku no daigakusei o taishoo ni keisan mondai o tokaseta tokoro, iwayuru yuumei daigaku-sei demo, daigaku nyuushi kamoku de suugaku o erabanakeraba, bunsuu ya shoosuu ni mo shiku-haku shite iru sugata ga ukibori ni natta. Suugaku ga nigate na jukensei datta watashi ni mo, “kono dankai mo rikai dekinai no ka” to shoogeki-teki na kekka datta.
University students throughout the country were asked to solve calculation problems—including students from so-called famous universities. Amazingly, if the students had not selected mathematics as their concentration on the entrance exam, they agonized over fractions and decimals. Even for someone like myself, who struggled with mathematics on my school entrance exams, it was shocking to note that capabilities were so poor at this level.
Vocabulary Notes
全国（ぜんこく）the entire country
を対象に （を たいしょう に） having as a subject
計算問題 （けいさん もんだい） calculation problem
いわゆる so-called
四苦八苦する（しくはく する）to struggle
分数（ぶんすう）fraction
小数 （しょうすう）decimnal
苦手（にがて）a weak point
衝撃的な（しょうげきたき な） shocking