An Acceptance Index for Mathematical Software Tools to Motivate Women Pursuing STEM Studies Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • One critical aspect that has gained attention in recent research is the role of mathematical tools and technological applications in shaping women's decisions to pursue STEM careers. Understanding the factors that influence women's acceptance of mathematical tools and their subsequent impact on career choices is essential for fostering gender diversity in STEM. Dozens of studies reveal that women avoid STEM careers because they perceive them as too demanding or involving excessive mathematics. Over the last decades, mathematical software and applications have been developed, facilitating the use of mathematics at the undergraduate level. In this study, we introduce a novel approach-the Mathematical Acceptance Index. This index is designed to evaluate and assess the acceptance and use of mathematical software and tools among young women. It measures the impact on the interest in using mathematical software and applications to solve real-life problems requiring only basic knowledge in mathematics and statistical concepts. Our index was built based on research on acceptance models of new technologies. The study involved the evaluation by a group of female students, focusing on the ease of use and perception of usefulness of three mathematical software-Mathematica, Geogebra, and SPSS. These tools were applied to solve simple, yet real problems involving basic knowledge of algebra, calculus, and statistics. The study aimed to measure the perception of female students regarding their intention to continue in a STEM career. Initially, a survey assessed a structural equation model on the same student sample to gauge their interest in pursuing a STEM career. We present our findings on the structural equation model first, followed by our methodology and the results concerning the Mathematical Acceptance Index. © 2024 IEEE.

publication date

  • January 1, 2024