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Actualidades Investigativas en Educación
On-line version ISSN 1409-4703Print version ISSN 1409-4703
Abstract
GAMBOA ARAYA, Ronny and MOREIRA MORA, Tania Elena. Beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics: a comparative study between students and teachers. Rev. Actual. Investig. Educ [online]. 2017, vol.17, n.1, pp.514-559. ISSN 1409-4703. http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/aie.v17i1.27473.
The teaching and learning of Mathematics have been associated with low academic performance, which has created a negative atmosphere around it. Some research has indicated that beliefs and attitudes towards Mathematics, by students, may partly explain the origin of this problem. They also highlighted the influence that the teacher has in the formation of these components of the affective domain of their students. This article shows the results of an investigation where the objective was to analyze the attitudes and beliefs of students and teachers toward this discipline. The research was carried out in three secondary institutions in Costa Rica with tenth-grade students and their mathematics teachers. To achieve the goals, a mixed design research type was used; data collection was conducted through questionnaires, observation, interviews, and a focus group. The results show similarities and differences for both groups of participants. Students and teachers agree that, to learn Mathematics, is necessary, among other things, effort, dedication and feel like for the discipline. They value the applicability of discipline, although this is not used as a teaching resource in the lessons. Students, in general, have no interest in learning mathematics; while mathematics teachers value it as a likable and fundamental in the education of each person. This creates a challenge for teachers, which must innovate in their classroom work to influence positively in the affective domain of their students.
Keywords : attitudes; beliefs; mathematics; students; teachers.