ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Mathematics is essential for academic success, yet many remedial students struggle due to cognitive, socio-emotional, and instructional challenges. These difficulties hinder their ability to grasp fundamental mathematical concepts, leading to persistent low achievement and limiting their overall academic progress. Addressing these challenges is critical to improving learning outcomes and ensuring equitable education. This study examines the key obstacles faced by remedial students in learning Mathematics and identifies effective teaching strategies to support their needs.This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with remedial teachers from schools in Perak, Malaysia. Purposive sampling was used to select teachers with expertise in remedial education. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Coding and categorization were conducted manually and with the assistance of ATLAS.ti software to identify recurring themes. The findings highlight three key challenges: unable to achieve learning objectives, difficulties in mastering 3R (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic) and poor recognition of whole numbers. Teachers emphasized that conventional methods are ineffective and stressed the importance of using manipulatives, visual aids and interactive learning techniques to enhance students' understanding. Future research should explore the long-term impact of differentiated instruction, hands-on activities, and technology-based interventions on remedial students' mathematical performance. Additionally, further studies should examine teacher training programs that equip educators with effective strategies tailored to remedial Mathematics education.
Alves, R. A., Limpo, T., Fidalgo, R., Carvalhais, L., Pereira, L. Á., & Castro, S. L. (2016). The impact of promoting transcription on early text production: Effects on bursts and pauses, levels of written language, and writing performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(5), 665–679.
Ashcraft, M. H., & Moore, A. M. (2009). Mathematics anxiety and the affective drop in performance. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 27(3), 197–205.
Castillo-Montoya, M. (2016). Preparing for interview research: The interview protocol refinement framework. Qualitative Report, 21(5), 811–831.
Chodura, S., Kuhn, J.-T., & Holling, H. (2015). Interventions for Children With Mathematical Difficulties: A Meta-Analysis. Zeitschrift Für Psychologie, 223, 129–144.
Chua, Y. P. (2012). Research method and statistic: Research methods. McGraw-Hill Education.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications.
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109.
Gay, L. R., & Airasian, P. (2003). Education research: Key competencies for analysis and applications. Pearson Education.
Geary, D. C. (2020). Neural substrates and genetic influences in the development of Mathematical cognition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(5), 841–853.
Gersten, R., Beckmann, S., Clarke, B. A., Foegen, A., Marsh, L., Star, J. R., & Witzel, B. (2021). Helping children who find maths difficult: response to intervention for elementary and middle schools. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.
Gikas, J., & Grant, M. M. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media. The Internet and Higher Education, 19, 18–26.
Gojak, L. M., & Miles, R. H. (2015). The Common Core Mathematics Companion: The Standards Decoded, Grades 3-5: What They Say, What They Mean, How to Teach Them. Corwin Press.
Griffin, C. C., Jitendra, A. K., & League, M. B. (2021). A report on strategies for helping students at the elementary level with math learning difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 54(1), 3–13.
Hattie, J. (2020). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 1,500 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge.
Johnson, L. M., & Brown, R. P. (2021). The impact of manipulatives on the mathematical achievements of remedial students. International Journal of Educational Development, 45(4), 322-337.
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
Miles, E., & Crisp, R. J. (2014). A meta-analytic test of the imagined contact hypothesis. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 17(1), 3–26.
Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2019). Annual report on education.
Myers, J. A., Wang, J., Brownell, M. T., & Gagnon, J. C. (2015). Mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities (LD) in secondary school: A review of the literature. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 13(2), 207–235.
Peters, L., De Smedt, B., & Kaufmann, L. (2020). A special role in the prediction of mathematic achievement for both working-memory and response-inhibition. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 186, 122–139.
Putwain, D. W., Symes, W., Nicholson, L. J., & Becker, S. (2018). Achievement goals, behavioural engagement, and mathematics achievement: A mediational analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 68, 12–19.
Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., Spilt, J. L., & Oort, F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher–student relationships on students’ school engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic approach. Review of Educational Research, 81(4), 493–529.
Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2020). Motivation and social cognitive theory. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 60, 1–10.
Smith, J. A. (2019). Differentiated instruction in remedial mathematics: Techniques and outcomes. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 10(3), 215-233.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2019). How to differentiate instruction in mixed ability classrooms ASCD. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Munusamy, T., Yatim, M. H. M., & Suhaimi, S. Bin. (2025). Challenges in Teaching and Learning Mathematics among Remedial Students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(3), 1496–1504.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode