ERIC Number: EJ1158596
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2165-8714
EISSN: N/A
Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of the Mathematics Courses Included in the Primary School Teacher Education Program
Serin, Mehmet Koray; Incikabi, Semahat
European Journal of Educational Research, v6 n4 p541-552 2017
Mathematics educators have reported on many issues regarding students' mathematical education, particularly students who received mathematics education at different departments such as engineering, science or primary school, including their difficulties with mathematical concepts, their understanding of and preferences for mathematical concepts. This study aimed to investigate the opinions of primary-school teacher education students in terms of their perceptions of difficulty level of the mathematics courses, change in their achievement, if there is any, and interest in mathematics after completing these courses, and factors affecting their achievement and interest level in these courses. Being qualitative in nature, this study was a case study. The data were analyzed using the content analysis and descriptive methods. According to the results, most students stated that they faced mathematics course content with unexpected level of difficulty. After taking basic mathematics courses, the percentage of students with decreased level of interest and achievement in mathematics was found higher than the students who experienced an increase in their interest and achievement. Students underlined such significant factors for the change of their interest and achievement in mathematics as prior knowledge, lecturer(s), and content coverage. Finally, most of the students viewed mathematics courses as a beneficiary tool for their professional development.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Preservice Teachers, Student Teacher Attitudes, Elementary School Teachers, Mathematics Education, Difficulty Level, Attitude Change, Mathematics Achievement, Student Interests, Prior Learning, Teacher Influence, Educational Benefits, Qualitative Research, Case Studies, Content Analysis, Foreign Countries, Questionnaires
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A