PERCEPTIONS OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS ABOUT APPLICABILITY OF MATHEMATICS

The achievement of students in mathematics is a big concern for many countries. This problem has been studied from different points of views: methods and didactical techniques for teaching and learning, the effect of technology, the curricula, distance learning, self-regulation practices, affective variables and more. This work will study how engineering students at Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingenieria Campus Guanajuato of Instituto Politecnico Nacional (UPIIG), perceive their ability to learn and to apply mathematics and the use of mathematics on their professional career. We study the difference on these perceptions among the undergraduates programs that UPIIG offers and between first and last semesters students. This study considers evaluations of situations that students expect to follow as a consequence of doing mathematics and the value of mathematics-related goals in students' global goal structure. The results of the closed-ended questionnaires applied to a sample of active students and graduated students will be presented. The main purpose is to determine the correlation between students' attitude towards mathematics and perception of its long-term applicability. Nearly 95% of students perceive that mathematics is important on their professional profile, and 86% consider that mathematical knowledge is important on their long-term professional goals. These perceptions are dependent of the engineering program as well as the semester. Most students perceive themselves with regular to good ability to apply mathematics in industrial processes. These results will provide the math academy some insights that might help to determine guidelines on the design of teaching-learning activities, to improve students' perception on their own ability to apply mathematics and, therefore, to build a stronger professional profile.