Structural Equation Model to Validate: Mathematics-Computer Interaction, Computer Confidence, Mathematics Commitment, Mathematics Motivation and Mathematics Confidence

Abstract

Most mathematics students show a definite tendency toward an attitudinal deficiency, which can be primarily understood as intolerance to the matter, affecting their scholar performance adversely. In addition, information and communication technologies have been gradually included within the process of teaching mathematics. Such adoption of technology modified the educational process, thus generating a meaningful impact as presented by studies carried out by Galbraith and Haines (2000). They developed a theoretical model aiming to explain this phenomenon from the component elements of attitude toward mathematics and computers: Mathematics engagement, mathematics confidence, mathematics motivation, computer confidence, and student's interaction with mathematics and computer. The purpose of this study was validating that model against experimental data coming from a sample of undergraduates from the fields of administration and economics. The collected data was processed applying multivariate data analysis using structural equation modeling technique. The observed fit indices corroborated that the theoretical model adjusts statistically well to the empirical data, even though the observed variance stayed below the optimal value. The evidence obtained in this study validates the theoretical model while revealing that additional weightings for the indicators should still be explored.