Investigating the Impact of Elements in Educational Mathematics Software on Girls' Attitudes

Abstract

Past research has suggested that certain features of educational computer software (such as aggressive distracters, competition, and the under-representation of female characters) may negatively impact girls' attitudes toward computer software. This article describes two studies that investigated the impact of these three features on girls' attitudes toward computer software. In the first study, forty-eight seventh-grade female mathematics students were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: Female character/Competitive task, Male character/Competitive task, Female character/Cooperative task, and Male character/Cooperative task. Each subject completed a computer task in her assigned condition and then independently completed the Computer Game Attitude Scale (CGAS), a scale that was designed to assess basic student attitudes toward using computer games. The subjects' scores on the CGAS were analyzed using a 2 × 2 ANOVA to examine to effects of learning environment (cooperative vs. competitive) and gender of character on girls' attitudes toward the computer software. In the second study, fifty-two sixth-grade female mathematics students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: aggressive distracters (via “snowbullies” thrown at the character) and no aggressive distracters (no “snowbullies”). Each subject completed a computer task in her assigned condition and then independently completed the CGAS. The subjects' scores on the CGAS were subjected to an independent group t-test to analyze the effects of aggressive distracters on girls' attitudes toward the computer software. The results suggest that the factors controlled in these studies resulted in no significant differences in girls' attitudes toward the educational mathematics computer games, Geometric Golfer and Treasure MathStorm.