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Beliefs about and attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics teaching held by prospective elementary teachers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
Attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics and mathematics teaching of prospective elementary teachers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were investigated. The primary purpose of the study was to develop a profile with regard to mathematics and mathematics teaching of prospective elementary teachers prior to admission to an elementary teacher education program. A secondary purpose was to investigate relationships among mathematics problem-solving self-efficacy beliefs, mathematics performance, and attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics and mathematics teaching. The design of the study was both descriptive and correlational. Subjects were 89 prospective elementary teachers who were enrolled in a required mathematics course. A short questionnaire was used to gather personal information about the subjects. Revised versions of five Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales were used to measure confidence in learning mathematics, perceptions of mathematics as a male domain, perceptions of the usefulness of mathematics, mathematics anxiety, and effectance motivation. Instruments were constructed to measure mathematics problem-solving self-efficacy beliefs (MPSES), beliefs about teaching mathematics in elementary school (BATMES), and attitudes toward teaching mathematics in elementary school (ATTMES). Achievement was measured using Preprofessional Skills Test (PPST) scores, GPA's, ACT scores, and final grades in the mathematics class in which the subjects were enrolled when they completed the survey. Results showed that the typical student in the study was a 19-year-old Caucasian woman who had a fairly high GPA and who reported having positive attitudes towards mathematics in general. She expressed confidence in her ability to learn, do, and teach mathematics. She did, however, tend to be somewhat math-anxious and to report negative feelings about teaching mathematics. If given a choice, she would prefer to teach language arts or social studies in grades K-3. She did not have a clearly defined system of beliefs about mathematics teaching and tended to agree with statements that represented traditional methods of teaching and at the same time with statements congruent with the current vision of reform in mathematics teaching. Both mathematics performance and mathematics problem-solving self-efficacy beliefs were significantly and positively correlated with attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics teaching. Subjects' self-efficacy beliefs about their ability to perform mathematical tasks, however, were related more strongly to their attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics teaching than were actual performance results. No relationship was found between self-efficacy problem-solving beliefs and beliefs about mathematics and teaching mathematics in elementary school.
Subject Area
Mathematics education|Teacher education
Recommended Citation
Fisher, Patience Oaks, "Beliefs about and attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics teaching held by prospective elementary teachers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln" (1992). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9308173.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9308173