University Students’ Attitudes about Online Mathematics Teaching During Pandemic
Keywords:
online mathematics teaching, university students' attittudes, educational-scientific field, mathematical knowledge
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic forced universities all over the world to shift from face-to-face to online education. Teaching and learning mathematics online brings many challenges for teachers due to its heavily symbolic and diagrammatic nature. The aim of the study was to determine whether it is possible to achieve good quality of university students' work and effectiveness of teaching by organizing online mathematics classes at non-mathematical faculties in Republic of Serbia. The research was conducted with undergraduate students (N=224) of seven faculties/departments of three state and one private university during the year 2022. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis. The research results point to the conclusion that undergraduate students from our sample generally did not express positive attitudes towards online mathematics classes. Also, their attitudes were determined by the educational-scientific fields of study programs they studied, as well as by their self-assessment of mathematical knowledge. Such results can be a significant starting point for a new research on the quality and effectiveness of teaching, which should include university teachers who organized online mathematics classes.
References
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• Aldon, G., Cusi, A., Schacht, F. & Swidan, O. (2021). Teaching mathematics in a context of lockdown: A study focused on teachers’ praxeologies. Education Sciences, 11(2), Article educsci11020038. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11020038
• Alibali, M. W. & Nathan, M. J. (2012). Embodiment in mathematics teaching and learning: Evidence from learners' and teachers' gestures. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 21(2), 247–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2011.611446
• Amelia, R., Kadarisma, G., Fitriani, N. & Ahmadi, Y. (2020). The effect of online mathematics learning on junior high school mathematics resilience during covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1657(1), Article 012011. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1657/1/012011
• Almarashdi, H. & Jarrah, A. M. (2021). Mathematics distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the UAS: High School students’ perspectives. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20(1), 292–307. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.1.16
• Bonsangue, M. V. & Clinkenbeard, J. E. (2021). A comparison of American student and faculty experiences in mathematics courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2, Article 100075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2021.100075
• Borges, A. I. & Costa, S. F. (2022). Online Learning in Mathematics Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Study of Portuguese Students. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 12(10), 1037–1042. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2022.12.10.1717
• Breda, A., Farsani, D. & Miarka, R. (2020). Political, technical and pedagogical effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mathematics Education: an overview of Brazil, Chile and Spain. INTERMATHS, 1(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.22481/intermaths.v1i1.7400
• Busto, S., Dumbser, M. & Gaburro, E. A. (2021). Simple but Efficient Concept of Blended Teaching of Mathematics for Engineering Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Education Sciences, 11(2), Article educsci11020056. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11020056
• Cassibba, R., Ferrarello, D., Mammana, M. F., Musso, P., Pennisi, M. & Taranto, E. (2021). Teaching mathematics at distance: A challenge for universities. Education Sciences, 11(1), Article educsci11010001. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/educsci11010001
• Casinillo, L. F., Casinilo, E. L., Valenzona, J. V., Almonite, M. R. C. & Valenzona, D. L. (2022). How challenging it is to learn mathematics online. Philippine Social Science Journal, 5(1), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.52006/main.v5i1.447
• Chirinda, B., Ndlovu, M. & Spangenberg, E. (2021). Teaching Mathematics during the COVID-19 Lockdown in a Context of Historical Disadvantage. Education Sciences, 11(4), Article educsci11040177. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11040177
• Cicha, K., Rizun, M., Rutecka, P. & Strzelecki, A (2021). COVID-19 and Higher Education: First-Year Students’ Expectations toward Distance Learning. Sustainability, 13(4), Article su13041889. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041889
• Commodari, E., Rosa, V. L. L., Coniglio, M. A. & Conti, D. (2022). Closure and reopening of schools and universities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Prevention and control measures, support strategies for vulnerable students and psychosocial needs. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 769622. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.769622
• Coman, C, Țîru, L. G, Meseșan-Schmitz, L., Stanciu. C. & Bularca, M. C. (2020). Online teaching and learning in higher education during the coronavirus pandemic: students’ perspective. Sustainability, 12(24), Article su122410367. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410367
• Đerić, I., Gutvajn, N., Jošić, S. & Ševa, N. (2020). Nacionalni izveštaj: TIMSS 2019 u Srbiji. Beograd: Institut za pedagoška istraživanja.
• Engelbrecht, J. & Harding, A. (2005). Teaching Undergraduate Mathematics on the Internet. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 58, 253–276.
• Fakhrunisa, F. & Prabawanto, S. (2020). Online learning in COVID-19 pandemic: An investigation of mathematics teachers’ perception. In H. Evans (Ed.), The 4th International Conference on Education and E-Learning ICEEL 2020, November 6–8, 2020, Tsuru (207–213). Tsuru: Tsuru University. https://doi.org/10.1145/3439147.3439179
• Ní Fhloinn, E. & Fitzmaurice, O. (2021). Challenges and Opportunities: Experiences of Mathematics Lecturers Engaged in Emergency Remote Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Mathematics, 9(18), Article math9182303. https://doi.org/10.3390/math9182303
• Fritz, A., Haase, V. G. & Räsänen, P. (Eds.). (2019). International handbook of mathematical learning difficulties: From the laboratory to the classroom. Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97148-3
• Gurley, L. E. (2018). Educators’ preparation to teach, perceived teaching presence, and perceived teaching presence behaviors in blended and online learning environments, Online Learning, 22(2), 197–220. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i2.1255
• Jevtić, R. (2021). The use of modern technologies in the life and work of teachers before and during Covid virus. Zbornik radova Pedagoškog fakulteta u Užicu, 24(23), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.5937/ZRPFU2123151J
• Milinković, J. & Lazić, B. (2018) Postignuće učenika na TIMSS i PISA ispitivanju kao smernica za izmene u nastavnom programu matematike. Inovacije u nastavi - časopis za savremenu nastavu, 31(3), 74–87. https://doi.org/10.5937/inovacije1803074M
• Moreno-Guerrero, A. J., Aznar-Díaz, I., Cáceres-Reche, P. & Alonso-García, S. (2020). E-learning in the teaching of mathematics: an educational experience in adult high school. Mathematics, 8(5), Article math8050840. https://doi.org/10.3390/math8050840
• Narli, S. (2010). An alternative evaluation method for Likert type attitude scales: rough set data analysis. Scientific Research Essays, 5(6), 519–528
• Nunez, R. (2008). A fresh look at the foundations of mathematics: Gesture and the psychological reality of conceptual metaphor. In A. J. Cienki & C. Muller (Eds.), Metaphor and Gesture (93–114). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/gs.3
• Noviani, J. (2021). Perceptions of mathematics education students toward e-learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Kalamatika: Jurnal Pendidikan Matematika, 6(1), 15–30. https://doi.org/10.22236/KALAMATIKA.vol6no1.2021pp15-30
• Oflaz, G., Bulut, N. & Akcakin, V. (2016). Pre-service classroom teachers’ proof schemes in geometry: a case study of three pre-service teachers. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 63, 133–152. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.14689/ejer.2016.63.8
• Pravilnik o listi stručnih, akademskih i naučnih naziva (2017). RS Official Gazette, 114/2017.
• Purnomo, M. E. R. & Machromah, I. U. (2018). Major difficulty in solid geometry learning for university students: developing visual spatial skills. In Y. M. Cholily, A. In’am, R. D. Azmi, R. D. Susanti, & S. K. Ummah (Eds.), 1st International Conference of Mathematics Education (INCOMED 2017), December 23, 2017, Malang (143–146). Malang: University of Muhammadiyah Malang. https://doi.org/10.2991/incomed-17.2018.31
• Radmehr, F. & Goodchild, S. (2021). Online mathematics teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspective of lecturers and students. Nordic Journal of STEM Education, 5(1), 1–5. Retrieved October 2, 2022. from https://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/njse/article/view/3914
• Raza, S. H. & Reddy, E. (2021). Intentionality and players of effective online courses in Mathematics. Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 7, Article 612327. doi: 10.3389/fams.2021.612327
• Tanis, C. J. (2020). The seven principles of online learning: Feedback from faculty and alumni on its importance for teaching and learning. Research in Learning Technology, 28, Article 2319. Retrieved January 25, 2021. from https://journal.alt.ac.uk/index.php/rlt/article/view/2319
• Trenholm, S. & Peschke, J. (2020). Teaching undergraduate mathematics fully online: A review from the perspective of communities of practice. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), Article 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00215-0
• Zeki, C. P. (2009). The importance of non-verbal communication in classroom management. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1), 1443–1449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.254
• World Health Organization (WHO). (2020, March 11). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Retrieved April 23, 2022. from https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020
