Étude comparative de l’utilisation spontanée d’une calculatrice
Keywords:
mathématiques, différences selon le sexe, attitudes des élèves, utilisation des technologies;, utilisation des technologies; enseignement primaire; enseignement secondaireAbstract
Equal numbers of female and male students (total of 216) were individually observed while they solved a mathematical problem involving computation. A calculator was available and the students had the option of making use of it or not. Respectively 67%, 53% and 58% chose to do so, at each of the grade levels considered. At the Grades 3 and 6 levels, no significant difference was found between girls’ and boys’ spontaneous use of the calculator. A significant difference (α = 0.05) was found at the Grade 9 level, with a greater proportion of boys choosing to make use of the calculator.
Students’ previous acquaintance with calculators and attitude towards them were measured by means of a questionnaire. As was to be expected, students’ spontaneous use of the calculator and expressed attitude toward it were found to be related. However a large number of students (mainly girls) who expressed a positive attitude towards calculators did not choose to use one during the experience. This led to no significant difference being found between girls’ and boys’ expressed attitudes towards calculators at any of the grade levels considered. This result raises some interesting questions concerning the relationship among behaviour, attitude and expressed attitude.
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