Chilldren unable to solve school arithmetic problems were able to solve similar ones when framed as market transactions

The untapped math skills of working children in India: Evidence, possible explanations, and implications. Abhijit V. Banerjee et al. MIT Economics, https://economics.mit.edu/files/13531

Abstract: It has been widely documented that many children in India lack basic arithmetic skills, as measured by their capacity to solve subtraction and division problems. We surveyed children working in informal markets in Kolkata, West Bengal, and confirmed that most were unable to solve arithmetic problems as typically presented in school. However, we also found that they were able to perform similar operations when framed as market transactions. This discrepancy was not explained by children’s ability to memorize prices and quantities in market transactions, assistance from others at their shops, reliance on calculation aids, or reading and writing skills. In fact, many children could solve hypothetical transactions of goods that they did not sell. Our results suggest that these children have arithmetic skills that are untapped by the school system.