ERIC Number: EJ1160375
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1814-6627
EISSN: N/A
Comparing South African Female and Male Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about the Nature of Mathematics
Spangenberg, Erica Dorethea; Myburgh, Chris
Africa Education Review, v14 n2 p140-155 2017
Girls performing well in mathematics at school do not necessarily enrol for mathematics courses at South African universities. Teachers could be transferring beliefs about the nature of mathematics favouring boys. This paper compared male and female pre-service teachers' beliefs about the nature of mathematics. A quantitative, descriptive research approach was adopted. One hundred and twenty-six mathematics pre-service teachers, enrolled for an undergraduate teaching training programme at a South African university, completed a questionnaire. While both genders hold the same Platonist and instrumentalist beliefs, females embrace lower experimentalist beliefs than males. Research on differences between male and female pre-service teachers' beliefs about the nature of mathematics could promote gender equity in mathematics teacher training and better facilitation of the subject, which might consequently encourage more girls to opt for mathematics-related careers.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Preservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teachers, Student Teacher Attitudes, Scientific Principles, Mathematics Education, Gender Differences, Comparative Analysis, Beliefs, Statistical Analysis, Undergraduate Students, Questionnaires, Likert Scales, Scientific Attitudes
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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: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A