ERIC Number: EJ1143703
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-739X
EISSN: N/A
Pre-Service Science Teachers' Perceptions of Mathematics Courses in a Science Teacher Education Programme
Incikabi, Lutfi; Serin, Mehmet Koray
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, v48 n6 p864-875 2017
Most science departments offer compulsory mathematics courses to their students with the expectation that students can apply their experience from the mathematics courses to other fields of study, including science. The current study first aims to investigate the views of pre-service science teachers of science-teaching preparation degrees and their expectations regarding the difficulty level of mathematics courses in science-teaching education programmes. Second, the study investigates changes and the reasons behind the changes in their interest regarding mathematics after completing these courses. Third, the current study seeks to reveal undergraduate science teachers' opinions regarding the contribution of undergraduate mathematics courses to their professional development. Being qualitative in nature, this study was a case study. According to the results, almost all of the students considered that undergraduate mathematics courses were "difficult" because of the complex and intensive content of the courses and their poor background mathematical knowledge. Moreover, the majority of science undergraduates mentioned that mathematics would contribute to their professional development as a science teacher. On the other hand, they declared a negative change in their attitude towards mathematics after completing the mathematics courses due to continuous failure at mathematics and their teachers' lack of knowledge in terms of teaching mathematics.
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Science Teachers, Student Attitudes, Mathematics Instruction, Teacher Education Programs, Undergraduate Study, Teacher Competencies, Case Studies, Knowledge Level, Course Content, Mathematics Skills, Negative Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Questionnaires, Content Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A