Exploring Engineering Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes toward Mathematical Problem Posing

Abstract

Mathematics has a key role to play in engineering education. Without strong mathematical knowledge, engineering students often face difficulties in engineering courses. Previous studies have found that problem-posing tasks can be used to improve the teaching, learning, and assessment of mathematics at the primary and secondary levels. This study aims to explore undergraduate engineering students’ attitudes toward problem posing in mathematics to investigate the possibility of using problem-posing tasks in engineering education. This research was conducted owing to the lack of research at the tertiary level about mathematical problem posing, especially in engineering education. In this study, the attitudes of 135 undergraduate engineering students toward mathematical problem posing were explored using a questionnaire and semistructured interviews. The results of the questionnaire indicated that around 60% of engineering students believed that problem posing helped them develop their mathematical understanding and that problem-posing and problem-solving skills were related. More than 50% of the engineering students believed problem-posing tasks were enjoyable activities. The results of the interviews supported these findings. Problem-posing activities are likely to give engineering students opportunities to expand their mathematical understanding and increase their knowledge about the applications of mathematics. Teaching problem posing in the classroom could help students become more creative when learning mathematics and help them to become better problem solvers.