THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENDER AND STUDENTS' ATTITUDE AND EXPERIENCE of USING A MATHEMATICAL SOFTWARE PROGRAM (MATLAB)

This correlation study examined the relationship between gender and the students' attitude and prior knowledge of using one of the mathematical software programs (MATLAB). Participants were selected from one community college, one state university and one private college. Students were volunteers from three Calculus I classrooms (one class from each school) in which MATLAB was used extensively. A survey regarding students' attitude and experience on using the MATLAB program was administered to classes. The findings of the study indicated that gender differences are not related to students' attitude and experience on the program. The results revealed slightly positive correlation between and students' attitude and experience on the program. The implications of this study shows that teachers who use MATLAB in their instruction and classroom practices must pay attention on how much students use it, the obstacles students had to overcome to succeed in its use, and their general issues and concerns regarding MATLAB use.