Japan has fewer math study problems, but differences exist due to family environment: Six-country international survey – Tendency for children with lower calculation skills to respond 'too much to remember'
An international survey conducted by the Sprx Education Foundation across six countries reveals that while Japanese elementary school students face fewer math study challenges overall, significant disparities exist based on family socioeconomic status (SES). Children with lower calculation abilities are more likely to report feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information they need to memorize.
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- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 12:30
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March 26, 2026
## Overview
The Sprx Education Foundation (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director: Hiroyuki Tsuneishi), a public interest incorporated foundation, conducted the "International Survey on Basic Academic Skills and Learning Awareness of Parents and Children 2025" with the aim of understanding the current state of awareness regarding basic academic skills. This report analyzed learning challenges faced by children struggling with calculation skills, considering their relationship with calculation ability and family socioeconomic background (SES), targeting fourth-grade elementary school students in six countries (USA, UK, France, South Africa, China, and Japan). Key findings of the survey are as follows:
### Key Findings of the Survey
- (1) Challenges in studying math: The biggest challenge is the burden of memorization, feeling "too much to remember."
Regarding challenges in studying math, "too much to remember" was the most frequent response in five countries other than Japan. While Japan tends to have fewer challenges compared to other countries, the burden of memorization, specifically "too much to remember" and "don't know how to study effectively," were identified as challenges.
- (2) Correlation with calculation skills: "Don't know how to resolve points of confusion" shows a difference in calculation skills.
When compared with calculation test scores, children with lower calculation skills reported feeling more challenges. In five countries other than Japan, the question with the largest difference across calculation skill levels was "don't know how to resolve points of confusion." In Japan, however, the largest difference was in "too much to remember," showing a clear disparity based on calculation skill levels. This suggests that acquiring problem-solving methods and overcoming the burden of memorization may be key to improving calculation skills.
- (3) Challenges faced by low-SES groups: Japan shows an impact from family environment, necessitating learning support for low-SES groups.
When compared with SES (family socioeconomic background) such as household income, the difference across SES levels was small in countries other than Japan, and smaller than the difference across calculation skill levels. In Japan, however, lower SES tended to correlate with more perceived challenges. This indicates that family environment is also a challenge for improving calculation skills in Japan, and active learning support for low-SES groups may be necessary.
## Background of the Survey
Previous reports have shown that SES (family socioeconomic background), including "household income," "education expenses," "parents' university graduation rate," and "number of books at home," correlates with calculation skills (refer to "Correlation between Calculation Skills and Family Environment: Six-Country International Survey" by Sprx Education Foundation). Differences arising from family environment are difficult to directly improve through external environments such as schools. However, basic academic skills like calculation ability are inherently expected to reach a certain level regardless of family environment. How should educational settings provide support to overcome academic disparities caused by SES (family socioeconomic background)? The Sprx Education Foundation believes that clarifying the factors that contribute to children's "resilience (ability to face difficulties)" will lead to the answer.
Keywords: Sprx Education Foundation, basic academic skills, international survey, SES, study methods, elementary school students, international comparison, calculation skills, survey results, education
## Overview
The Sprx Education Foundation (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director: Hiroyuki Tsuneishi), a public interest incorporated foundation, conducted the "International Survey on Basic Academic Skills and Learning Awareness of Parents and Children 2025" with the aim of understanding the current state of awareness regarding basic academic skills. This report analyzed learning challenges faced by children struggling with calculation skills, considering their relationship with calculation ability and family socioeconomic background (SES), targeting fourth-grade elementary school students in six countries (USA, UK, France, South Africa, China, and Japan). Key findings of the survey are as follows:
### Key Findings of the Survey
- (1) Challenges in studying math: The biggest challenge is the burden of memorization, feeling "too much to remember."
Regarding challenges in studying math, "too much to remember" was the most frequent response in five countries other than Japan. While Japan tends to have fewer challenges compared to other countries, the burden of memorization, specifically "too much to remember" and "don't know how to study effectively," were identified as challenges.
- (2) Correlation with calculation skills: "Don't know how to resolve points of confusion" shows a difference in calculation skills.
When compared with calculation test scores, children with lower calculation skills reported feeling more challenges. In five countries other than Japan, the question with the largest difference across calculation skill levels was "don't know how to resolve points of confusion." In Japan, however, the largest difference was in "too much to remember," showing a clear disparity based on calculation skill levels. This suggests that acquiring problem-solving methods and overcoming the burden of memorization may be key to improving calculation skills.
- (3) Challenges faced by low-SES groups: Japan shows an impact from family environment, necessitating learning support for low-SES groups.
When compared with SES (family socioeconomic background) such as household income, the difference across SES levels was small in countries other than Japan, and smaller than the difference across calculation skill levels. In Japan, however, lower SES tended to correlate with more perceived challenges. This indicates that family environment is also a challenge for improving calculation skills in Japan, and active learning support for low-SES groups may be necessary.
## Background of the Survey
Previous reports have shown that SES (family socioeconomic background), including "household income," "education expenses," "parents' university graduation rate," and "number of books at home," correlates with calculation skills (refer to "Correlation between Calculation Skills and Family Environment: Six-Country International Survey" by Sprx Education Foundation). Differences arising from family environment are difficult to directly improve through external environments such as schools. However, basic academic skills like calculation ability are inherently expected to reach a certain level regardless of family environment. How should educational settings provide support to overcome academic disparities caused by SES (family socioeconomic background)? The Sprx Education Foundation believes that clarifying the factors that contribute to children's "resilience (ability to face difficulties)" will lead to the answer.
Keywords: Sprx Education Foundation, basic academic skills, international survey, SES, study methods, elementary school students, international comparison, calculation skills, survey results, education