Uses and resources of technologies by mathematics students prior to COVID-19

Digital competence in education includes, amongst other things, the ability to create and manage content and information, mastery of communication tools, and solving technological problems. The access to information and communication technologies (ICT) for educational purposes could have affected the academic performance of mathematics students prior to COVID-19. The objectives were to (1) analyze family and economic factors that could influence the use of ICT for educational purposes, and (2) determine what attributes of Melilla’s mathematics students could explain an additional variation in the use of ICT for academic purposes before COVID-19. A total of 2018 students at secondary schools in Melilla were included in this cross-sectional study. A validated questionnaire with 14 questions regarding ICT and its uses and resources in mathematics learning was administered to students. Statistical analysis revealed that 63.81% of students used ICT to study mathematics and 36.19% did not. Of this percentage, 30.22% failed mathematics and 68.43% reported that ICT does not help them improve their grades. The use of ICT to study mathematics was influenced by students’ perceptions of its usefulness for their academic performance and learning. We also found an association with educational level and time spent on the Internet