Exploring foundation students' AI math tool preferences, duration of use, and confidence in mathematics problem-solving

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly integrated into mathematics education due to features such as step-by-step solutions and interactive feedback. As students often face challenges in mastering mathematical concepts, this study explores the preferred AI math tools among foundation students at the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), assessing their potential as self-study aids for both independent learning and classroom use. It also investigates how long students have been using these tools and whether their confidence in solving mathematical problems correlates with the duration of use. A total of 340 students from the Foundation in Arts (FIA) and Foundation in Science (FIS) programmes participated in a quantitative, cross-sectional survey. Descriptive statistics were used to examine tool preferences and usage patterns, while Spearman’s rank correlation was applied to explore the relationship between confidence levels and AI tool usage duration. Findings indicate that ChatGPT is the preferred tool, followed by Photomath and CameraMath. Most students identified as relatively new users, with the majority having used AI tools for less than six months. While confidence in problem-solving showed a modest increase with longer usage, the correlation was weak and statistically insignificant. These results suggest that although AI tools are widely adopted, their impact on student confidence remains limited.