Attitudes of Engineering Students toward Their Mistakes while Learning Mathematics

Abstract

Under any teaching-learning scheme for mathematics, where errors are pointed out in student work, three types of attitudes may appear: a negative attitude, in which the student believes that errors are simply a symptom of failure; a neutral attitude of indifference to his/her errors; or a positive attitude, considering the errors as a means for learning and a challenge to overcome them. This article presents research that studies attitudes linked to learning mathematics. Its aim was to describe the attitude that engineering students at the University of Zulia exhibit when confronted with their errors in learning mathematics. The theoretical framework is based on Brousseau (2001), Briñol et al (2007), and Pallí and Martinez (2004). The AEAM scale was used (Mathematics Students’ Attitude toward Error), consisting of 36 items, each with 6 Likert-type response alternatives, in its second version, updated by the authors. The instrument was validated through expert opinion and was determined to be highly reliable with a Cronbach Alpha of 0.9073. Conclusions were that most participants showed a moderately positive attitude toward their mistakes; however, since the attitude is not located in the desirable positive end, this value reflects a weak attitude that does not guarantee appropriate behavior regarding the errors, although it could be improved to a frankly positive attitude.