Attitude and behavioral among Students, Computers and Mathematics: (A case of study in public university)

Abstract

In this paper we examine the relationships between students’ attitudes towards mathematics and technology; therefore, we take a Galbraith and Haines’ scale (1998) about mathematics confidence, computer confidence, computer and mathematics interaction, mathematics motivation, computer motivation, and mathematics engagement. This is a study carried out at the Universidad Politécnica de Aguascalientes. 164 questionnaires were applied face to face to undergraduate students of several profiles: business and management, mechatronic engineering, industrial engineering, strategic system engineering and mechanic engineering. Statistical procedure was used the factorial analysis with an extracted principal component in order to measure data. Statistics test to prove: ?2, Bartlett test of sphericity, KMO (Kaiser-Meyer_Olkin), MSA (Measure sampling adequacy), Significance level: ?=0.05; p X 2 tabulated. . The results obtained from the sphericity test of Bartlett KMO (.859), ?2calculated, 539.612 with 10 df > ?2tabulated, Sig. 0.00 < p 0.01, MSA (MATH-CONFI .853; MATH-MOTI .884; MATH-ENGA .846; COMPU-CONFI .868 and INTE-MACO .848) allow us to know that the variables of Galbraith and Haines’ scale help us to understand the student’s attitude toward mathematics and technology.