A scale for monitoring students' attitudes to learning mathematics with technology
- Authors: Pierce, Robyn , Stacey, Kaye , Barkatsas, Anastasios
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Computers and Education Vol. 48, no. 2 (2007), p. 285-300
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- Description: The Mathematics and Technology Attitudes Scale (MTAS) is a simple scale for middle secondary years students that monitors five affective variables relevant to learning mathematics with technology. The subscales measure mathematics confidence, confidence with technology, attitude to learning mathematics with technology and two aspects of engagement in learning mathematics. The paper presents a model of how technology use can enhance mathematics achievement, a review of other instruments and a psychometric analysis of the MTAS. It also reports the responses of 350 students from 6 schools to demonstrate the power of the MTAS to provide useful insights for teachers and researchers. 'Attitude to learning mathematics with technology' had a wider range of scores than other variables studied. For boys, this attitude is correlated only with confidence in using technology, but for girls the only relationship found was a negative correlation with mathematics confidence. These differences need to be taken into account when planning instruction. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003004898
Students' attitudes, engagement and confidence in mathematics and statistics learning: ICT, gender, and equity dimensions
- Authors: Barkatsas, Anastasios
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Towards Equity in Mathematics Education. Gender, Culture, and Diversity p. 151-179
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- Description: Abstract In this chapter the findings of five studies are reported. Two research instruments were used: the Mathematics and Technology Attitudes Scale (MTAS), and the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics Scale (SATS). The aims, methods, data analyses, selected findings and conclusions are presented, as well as implications for the teaching and learning of mathematics and statistics. The studies involved samples from Australia and Greece. Findings from the three MTAS studies revealed that there is a complex nexus of relationships between secondary mathematics students’ mathematics confidence, confidence with technology, attitude to learning mathematics with technology, affective engagement and behavioural engagement, achievement, and gender. Findings from the SATS studies indicated that male Greek tertiary students had more positive attitudes toward statistics than female students; there was no gender gap for the Australian tertiary students. Secondary students’ attitudes towards ICT use for mathematics learning require further scrutiny in order to bring about gender equity and to facilitate improved outcomes for all students. Gender and cultural sensitivity are paramount in the instructional planning, decision making, and implementation of secondary mathematics and tertiary statistics.
Instrumentation and motivations for organised cycling: : The development of the cyclist motivation instrument (CMI)
- Authors: Brown, Trent , O'Connor, Justen , Barkatsas, Anastasios
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, vol. 8, no. 2, Asist Group, p. 211-218
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- Description: ‘Serious leisure’ cycling has developed as a reinterpretation of the traditional form of the sport. This short term, informal, unstructured and unconventional conceptualisation represents a challenge to participant numbers in the mainstream sport. The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to ascertain the cultural, subcultural and ecological factors of participation in this new conceptualised form enabling clubs, associations and governments to a deeper understanding about participants practices and (ii) as an ongoing validation to previous qualitative work (see O’Connor and Brown, 2005). This study reports on the development and psychometric properties (principal components analysis, confirmatory factor analysis) of the Cyclists’ Motivation Instrument. Four hundred and twenty two cyclists (371 males, 51 females) who were registered members of the state competitive cycling body completed a fifty-one item instrument. Five factors were identified: social, embodiment, self-presentation, exploring environments and physical health outcomes and these accounted for 47.2% of the variance. Factor alpha coefficients ranged from .63 to .88, overall scale reliability was .92, suggesting moderate to high reliability for each of the factors and the overall scale.