Spanish adaptation of the Math and Me Survey in primary education: Measuring second and fourth graders’ attitudes toward mathematics

Abstract

The English version of the “Math and Me Survey” was developed to measure mathematical attitudes of elementary students. This study was used to translate, validate and examine the attitudes of Spanish students in the second and fourth grades of primary school. The translation-back translation procedure was adopted. A total of 81 students (42 boys and 39 girls), with a mean age of 8.19 years completed the Spanish survey. The psychometric properties of the adapted survey were examined by internal consistency, reliability and factorial structure. The exploratory factor analysis of the 18-item adapted questionnaire provided a two-factor structure, similar to the original questionnaire: mathematical self-concept and enjoyment of mathematics. For each factor, the Spanish survey had high internal consistency, respectively ω = .89 and ω =.91. However, the confirmatory factor analysis did not show overall good fit. The adapted survey should be interpreted with caution, suggesting a need for further investigation to be used as an effective tool for evaluating math self-concept and enjoyment in a Spanish-speaking context. In addition, the results of its application indicated that (1) second-graders had a better mathematics self-concept and enjoy mathematics more than fourth-graders, and (2) boys had a greater mathematics self-concept than girls, but girls enjoyed this subject more in second grade.