Pre-service teachers’ experiences and the influences on their intentions for teaching primary school mathematics

In this article results from an examination of beliefs about teaching and learning primary mathematics are reported. Commencing and graduating pre-service teachers completed written surveys and interviews. Common to many preservice teachers were memories of mathematics lessons with teacher demonstrations, completing set exercises, using mathematical equipment, and playing competitive number-based games. Various factors influenced their beliefs including: having theory linked to practical examples, reflecting on more recent experience of teaching and learning contexts, and listening to experiences shared by friends and family members who teach.

[1]  Stephen Gorard.  Quantitative Methods in Educational Research , 2001 .

[2]  Lynn C. Hart.  Preservice Teachers' Beliefs and Practice After Participating in an Integrated Content/Methods Course , 2002 .

[3]  Carolyn Stuart,et al.  Making It Their Own: Preservice Teachers' Experiences, Beliefs, and Classroom Practices , 2000 .

[4]  M. Pajares,et al.  Teachers’ Beliefs and Educational Research: Cleaning Up a Messy Construct , 1992 .

[5]  M. Wittrock.  Handbook of research on teaching , 1986 .

[6]  V. Richardson.  The role of attitudes and beliefs in learning to teach , 1996 .

[7]  M. Joy.  Research Methods in Education (6th Edition) , 2007 .

[8]  J. Wilkins,et al.  Change in Preservice Teachers' Beliefs: An Evaluation of a Mathematics Methods Course , 2004 .

[9]  Kenneth E. Smith,et al.  Multidimensional Self-Concepts of Children and Teacher Beliefs About Developmentally Appropriate Practices , 2000 .

[10]  A. Scott.  Links between beliefs of pre-service teachers about literacy and numeracy learning , 2003 .

[11]  H. Mohr,et al.  A Critical Assessment , 1985, The Federal Estate Tax.

[12]  K. Beswick.  Accounting for the Contextual Nature of Teachers' Beliefs in Considering Their Relationship to Practice , 2003 .

[13]  L. Cohen,et al.  Research Methods in Education , 1980 .

[14]  V. T. Sarver.  Ajzen and Fishbein's “Theory of Reasoned Action”: A Critical Assessment , 1983 .

[15]  Promoting Pre-service Teacher Education Students' Reflective Practice in Mathematics , 2003 .

[16]  Karen B. Givvin,et al.  Teachers' beliefs and practices related to mathematics instruction , 2001 .

[17]  Norman G. Lederman,et al.  School Science and Mathematics 101 , 2002 .

[18]  J. Calderhead,et al.  Images of teaching: Student teachers' early conceptions of classroom practice , 1991 .

[19]  J. A. Hatch.  What preservice teachers can learn from studies of teachers' work , 1999 .

[20]  D. Kagan.  Implication of Research on Teacher Belief , 1992 .

[21]  M. Haberman,et al.  Handbook of Research on Teacher Education , 1990 .

[22]  Ralph T. Putnam,et al.  What Do New Views of Knowledge and Thinking Have to Say About Research on Teacher Learning? , 2000 .

[23]  J. Nespor.  The Role of Beliefs in the Practice of Teaching. , 1987 .

[24]  Carol S. Weinstein,et al.  Teacher Education Students' Preconceptions of Teaching , 1989 .

[25]  C. Kardash,et al.  Effects of preexisiting beliefs, epistemological beliefs, and need for cognition on interpretation of controversial issues. , 1996 .

[26]  Randolph A. Philipp,et al.  Assessing Prospective Elementary School Teachers' Beliefs About Mathematics and Mathematics Learning: Rationale and Development of a Constructed-Response-Format Beliefs Survey , 2004 .