MetaMath and MathGeAr Projects: Students' Perceptions of Mathematics in Engineering Courses (original) (raw)
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Proceedings of the 44th SEFI Annual Conference 2016 - Engineering Education on Top of the World: Industry University Cooperation, SEFI 2016. 12-15 September 2016, Tampere, Finland. ISBN 978-28735201-44
This article presents an analysis of the engineering students’ perceptions towards their mathematics courses. We present the methodology of data acquisition, the main themes that the study investigates and the preliminary results. The population on which we base this study are partners in two Tempus projects, MetaMath in Russia and MathGeAr in Georgia and Armenia. The study was elaborated to investigate three main dimensions of the mathematical courses (i) The usefulness of mathematics (ii) Mathematical courses in engineering courses - Contents and methods (iii) Nature of mathematics knowledge. The survey was spread with a web tool and translated into each partner language to ensure that the meaning of questions was taken into account. A total of 35 questions were answered by 1548 students from all participant countries. After collecting the data from the online survey we used the statistical package R to analyze the data and make conclusions. A Principal Component Analysis was performed to identify patterns in students’ responses. Using the graphical representation of data, it was possible to raise the hypothesis that methodology of teaching mathematics of each country shapes the average students’ perception towards mathematics. The main result is that indeed the institution in which the student belongs affects strongly his/her conceptions. Moreover, it is easier to affect a student to a university than to assert his/her gender! The current study suggests further investigations avenues: the first one is to study deeper the influence of engineering students’ perceptions on mathematics performance for each partner institutions. The second one is the elaboration of questionnaires targeting engineers in order to study the perception and actual usage of mathematics by professionals. Because the link between students and engineers goes through teachers, we need to study as well the perception of teachers themselves. We have already adapted this questionnaire in order to address these two targets and it will be the subject of subsequent articles. This study is only the first real size pilot of a series of further studies to come.
International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 2021
Mathematics is a constituent of the education of Engineering students. This paper reports on a study investigating the attitudes and perceptions towards mathematics of first year Engineering students. The sample consisted of 145 freshmen (80 men and 65 women) from one Greek university, derived from three Engineering departments (Mechanical, Electrical and Civil). A two-part questionnaire with satisfactory reliability in each part was completed by the participants. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations and exploratory factor analysis. The data analysis led to nine factors which shape and mediate students' mathematical attitudes and perceptions. These factors are: Anxiety, Confidence, Learning goals, Theory of intelligence, Persistence, Approach, Learning strategies, Prior experience and General issues. Demographic variables (sex, age, learning disability and choice of study) are found to have an effect on students' attitudes and perceptions. The findings of this study need to be viewed in relation to the redesign of the Engineering Mathematics curriculum to teach effectively all students and raise their mathematical confidence and motivation.
Students' Viewpoints on Mathematics Courses in Engineering: A Basis for Improvement
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2016
This research is about the Adamson University's third year regular engineering students' viewpoints on mathematics courses in engineering as basis for improvement. The objective of the study are as follows: (1) to identify the engineering students' views on the content of the mathematics courses taught in engineering education; (2) to identify the engineering students' views on the teaching style used in the mathematics courses; (3) to identify the engineering students' views concerning the faculty teaching the mathematics courses for the engineering departments; (4) to determine how do students' viewpoints on mathematics courses in engineering serve as basis for improvements. The researcher used qualitative research method. The respondents consisted of 12 regular third year engineering students of Adamson University. To improve the interview questions, a pilot study has been conducted with 5 sophomore engineering students of Adamson University to make sure that the words used in the interview questions can be grasped by students; and can provide answers and explanations to the problem posed in the present study with the aid of 2 experts. Based on data obtained from the research findings, students' viewpoints on mathematics courses to engineering are categorized under five (5) main themes and thirty (30) subthemes including one hundred forty two (142) codes. The main themes are as follows: the content of the mathematics courses, perception on relevance, lecturer's focus, teaching styles, and the assessment process.
Lecturers of first-year mathematics often have reason to believe that students enter university studies with naïve conceptions of mathematics and that more mature conceptions need to be developed in the classroom. Students’ conceptions of the nature and role of mathematics in current and future studies as well as future career are pedagogically important as they can impact on student learning and have the potential to influence how and what we teach. As part of ongoing longitudinal research into the experience of a cohort of students registered at the author’s institution, students’ conceptions of mathematics were determined using a coding scheme developed elsewhere. In this article I discuss how the cohort of students choosing to study engineering exhibit a view of mathematics as conceptual skill and as problem solving, coherent with an accurate understanding of the role of mathematics in engineering. Parallel investigation shows, however, that the students do not embody designated identities as engineers.