International Conference on Integration of STEAM in School Education organised by NCERT, Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal, MP, India in collaboration with Department of School Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh on February, 25th- 28, 2021

1. International Conference on Integration of STEAM in School Education
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A study on “Changing students attitude towards Learning
Mathematics”
Dr. C.V. Suresh Babu1
, S. Geetha2
1
Professor, Sathyasai B.Ed. College, Chennai, TN, India
dr.c.v.suresh.babu@gmail.com
2
M.Ed. Student, Sathyasai B.Ed. College, Avadi, Chennai, TN, India
akshayagnanas@gmail.com
Abstract –This paper discusses various reasons for the lack of interest in
Mathematics among the present student community. Education system has
undergone many drastic changes. Our traditional methods of teaching and
learning process are slowly transforming to activity based learning and task
oriented learning. Still now many students experience Mathematical anxiety.
Many students after their high school education are avoiding maths stream,
they are looking for courses without the subject Mathematics. Mathematics
anxiety in student’s origin from lack of proper understanding of mathematical
symbols and their respective meaning and the inability to follow the
algorithms. Another important reason is that the abstractness of the subject,
high school mathematics and higher education mathematics are often felt vague
since it lacks its direct connection with day to day life. Reverse engineering
might help the students to develop interest, since they get ideas about the
various applications of the content learned in their classrooms.
KEYWORDS: Mathematical anxiety, Motivation, Reverse engineering approach, Digital
learning
1 Introduction
"Mathematics is the queen of the sciences and number theory is the queen of
mathematics."- claimed Carl Friedrich Gauss, one of the greatest mathematician. The
applications of Mathematics are pervasive in almost all fields of life. In today’s technology
driven world, mathematics is the core of all technological developments. This is the reason we
are trying to integrate STEAM in school education. But still many students develop
mathematical anxiety and try to avoid Mathematics in their higher education. This paper reveals
about the reasons for Mathematical anxiety among the students and the possible ways to be
implemented in school education to overcome this anxiety.
2 Rationale background
Today, many schools are trying to integrate STEAM education in their curriculum, so that
students will learn in an experiential form so that they will build skills and get deep concept
learning. Mathematics is one of the important core subjects of STEAM education. Many students
are afraid of Mathematics and trying to avoid it.

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Primary Objective:
 To study the effect of integrating reverse engineering approach in teaching Mathematics, a
way to bring positive attitude towards learning Mathematics among students.
Secondary Objective:
 To improve motivation towards learning mathematics.
 To develop critical and innovative thinking.
 Frequently handling of digital tools.
 Outcome based mathematical activities.
3 Literature Review
There has been numerous studies to investigate about the Mathematical anxiety among
students. According to Dreger and Aiken mathematics anxiety is “the presence of a syndrome of
emotional reactions to arithmetic and mathematics.” (KodalSevindir& et al, 2014a) “Highly
math-anxious individuals are characterized by a strong tendency to avoid math, which ultimately
undercuts their math competence and forecloses important career paths” (Ashcraft, 2001). Prior
research suggests that “Female students stated more positive responses than males to questions
about feeling nauseous, breathing hardly, sweating, getting heart palpitations, palms sweating,
loose of concentration and getting nervous when facing a math problem.” (KodalSevindir& et al,
2014a). A number of authors have recognized “mathematical anxiety has attracted recent
attention because of its damaging psychological effects and potential associations with
mathematical problem solving and achievement”(Zhe Wang & et al, 2014).
4 Research Design
4.1. Hypothesis and Research Questions
i. Simple hypothesis:
 Reverse engineering in mathematical education helps students to learn mathematics
with interest, which reduces their mathematical anxiety.
Questions
1) How to implement reverse engineering in mathematics education?
2) Does it improve the motivation of students to learn mathematics?
Independent variable: Reverse engineering method of teaching Mathematics
Dependent variable: change in attitudes of students, improvement in their performance
outcomes,proper understanding of the subject.
ii. Complex hypothesis:
 Students who hate Mathematics but appreciate and value wide application of
Mathematics are more likely than other students to
 Seek other digital resources to get to know the applications of the concepts
learned.
 Seeks the help of teachers and mentors, who can help them to get clarity
about the subject.

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 Students who are strong enough in prior mathematical knowledge are less likely to
develop mathematical anxiety.
Questions:
1) How to bring awareness about the importance and vital application of mathematics
in almost all fields of life?
2) What are the digital resources available which makes mathematic concepts easier
and connects with real life situations?
3) How to equip teachers to update their knowledge and make them comfortable with
using technology for teaching mathematics?
4) How to make the students understand the mathematical language properly?
5) Does students who have sound prior knowledge have less mathematical anxiety?
iii. Null hypothesis:
 There is no significant change in student’s attitude towards learning Mathematics
when reverse engineering is practiced in classroom.
Questions
1) How can we implement reverse engineering in mathematics education?
2) Does implementation of reverse engineering brings positive attitude of students
towards mathematics?
iv. Alternative hypothesis:
 Student’s mathematical anxiety when reverse engineering is practiced for teaching
Mathematics.
 Students change their hatred attitude towards mathematics learning when outcomes
based education is practiced as opposed to traditional methods of mathematical
education.
Questions
1) Does mathematical anxiety off students will get reduced if reverse engineering is
practiced?
2) How far this process will be accepted by the students’population?
3) What will be the response from the parent side if reverse engineering is
implemented
v. Logical hypothesis:
 Reverse engineering helps students to learn mathematics with enthusiasm.
Questions
1) If Reverse engineering is applied does it improves students enthusiasm
2) Does implementation of reverse engineering further creates complexity in
students to understand mathematics?
vi. Empirical hypothesis:
 Students who were taught in reverse engineering process shows love in learning
mathematics than the students taught with traditional methods of teaching
Mathematics.

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Questions
1) Does implementation of reverse engineering in mathematics education creates
live for learning Mathematics?
2) Does implementation of reverse engineering in mathematical education Leads to
mathematical anxiety in students?
vii. Directional hypothesis:
 Students learning through reverse engineering process with the help of technology
shows less mathematical anxiety than students not learning through technology
assisted medium.
Questions:
1) Does students taught through reverse engineering process are good performers in
Mathematics?
2) Does the students taught through traditional methods perform well in
mathematics?
5 Suggestions
1) Introduce Reverse engineering approach in teaching mathematics
2) Stimulate interest in learning mathematical concepts by demonstrating the
applications of learning concepts using available digital tools (you tube videos and
many more).
3) Concentrating more on comprehensive knowledge rather than aiming for
achieving good marks and grades.
6 Scope for Further Research
Future research suggestions:
1) Future research on reverse engineering approach in teaching mathematics might extend
the explanations of improving students’ motivation in learning mathematics. Future studies could
fruitfully explore this issue further by employing the reverse engineering approach to a group of
students and observe the change in their attitudes towards mathematics.
2) It will be important that future research investigate, how much effective will be the
applications of reverse engineering approach either it helps in reducing the mathematical anxiety
or it further increases the mathematical anxiety among the students.
3) Regardless, future research could continue to explore the available digital resources
which help us in implementing the reverse engineering approach in teaching mathematics.
7 Conclusion
For today’s digital learners, the traditional methods of teaching Mathematics won’t be
suitable. Students’ attention span is getting lesser and lesser day by day. Our students are getting
smarter, they want to know the applications of the concepts they are learning in the schools. The
concepts for which they don’t use in real life situations don’t gain their attention. So the only

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way to gain their attention is to determine the learning outcomes up front and then work back
from them, which we refer as Reverse Engineering.
8 Acknowledgment
We thank all our Faculty members, Math’s Educators of various schools in Chennai and our
students and other anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on our draft paper.
9 Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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