WebQuest experience: Pre-Service secondary maths and chemistry teachers

This paper presents some results of an investigation on the number sense of a group of pre-service secondary teachers from Spain. The objective of this research was to analyze students’ use of strategies associated to number sense and compare them with those obtained in a previous study with pre-service primary teachers in Taiwan, (Yang, Reys & Reys, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 7, 383–403, 2009). Pre-service secondary teachers showed lower success than pre-service primary teachers in a number sense test. Nevertheless, these last based their reasoning mainly on rules and algorithms, while pre-service secondary teachers used more strategies of number sense. In an attempt to delve into the low success shown by of Spanish pre-service secondary teachers, some students were interviewed. Those interviews showed that a deeper work on number sense in the training of these students is needed.

Technology transfer to classes has become very important for teachers, regardless of their field. The purpose of this study is to determine how pre-service teachers with high and low level of technological self-efficacy beliefs are predicted by the independent variables. These variables are attitude towards technology, attitude towards instructional technologies and material design course, having a personal computer. The study sample of this relational study consisted of 193 pre-service teachers. As data collection tools, Technological Self-Efficacy Belief Scale, Attitude towards Technology Scale, Attitude towards Instructional Technologies Scale, and a questionnaire developed by researchers were administered. Logistic regression analysis, which is used when the dependent variable is categorical, was employed in data analysis. According to analysis results, the variables of having a personal computer (Wald = 4.23, df = 1, p < 0.05), attitude towards technology (Wald = 13.66, df = 1, p < 0.01) and attitude towards instructional technologies and material design course (Wald = 6.17, df = 1, p < 0.01) had a significant effect on pre-service teachers’ technological self-efficacy beliefs. Particularly, the variable of having a personal computer significantly increased pre-service teachers’ technological self-efficacy beliefs by 20%. In this context, various recommendations were offered to the researchers, institutions and instructors.

The 21st century has emerged as an era of accountability and standardisation for the teaching profession (Mikulec & Miller, 2012). The current research is comprised of 4 interrelated empirical studies which measure and explore individual differences in perceptions of teacher-student boundaries in the secondary school context from an ethical perspective. This research is timely given it has been 8 years since the Teacher Code of Conduct was introduced in Victoria (The Institute, 2008). While the relationship between teachers and their students has been recognised as a powerful contributor to learning, engagement, and development, the professional limitations of teacher-student interactions have been relatively unexplored. Further, technological advances in the last decade have created new environments that potentially expose teachers to new possibilities and vulnerabilities such as Social Networking Sites (SNS). Within a contingency framework for ethical decision-making (Ferrell & Gresham, 1985) the current research employs a mixed-methods approach and a cross-sectional design. Participants were preservice secondary teachers (N = 288) enrolled at a Victorian university and early career secondary teachers (N = 227) registered in Victoria. All participants completed a questionnaire during class time (preservice) or online (early career) which took approximately 40 minutes. In the absence of a measure of attitudes towards teacher-student interactions and behaviours, the Professional Interactions and Behaviours Scale (PIBS) was developed and validated in Study A. Based upon the Victorian Teacher Code of Conduct, (The Institute, 2008), 5 types of teacher-student interactions were educed from the items; emotional support, physical support, teacher disclosure, connectivity, and befriending. Although average endorsement was modest, early career teachers reported higher endorsement of teacher disclosure and preservice teachers provided greater approval of connectivity and befriending. An opportune international collaboration enabled further comparisons with preservice secondary teachers in Norway (N = 227), who demonstrated greater endorsement of the provision of physical support to students than Victorian preservice teachers. Differences in reported ethical training provided during teacher education are also noted and considered as a context for the development of attitudes toward professional behaviour. Utilising a person-centred approach, Study B explored profiles of trait-like characteristics among the Victorian preservice teachers through cluster analysis. This study proposed that individual differences in personality (Mc Crae & Costa, 2003) and attachment style as defined by Bartholomew (1990) may relate to other personal characteristics such as the need for popularity, domains of contingent self-worth and perceptions of professional behaviour as measured by the PIBS. Preservice teachers described as “responsive resilient” in personality were more likely than “curious & sensitive ambiverts” to endorse teacher provision of emotional support to students. Further, securely attached individuals were more likely to endorse the provision of physical support than dismissive individuals. Study C utilised a mixed-methods approach to explore profiles of teacher-student interactions styles in early career secondary teachers and their responses to ethical dilemmas relating to teacher-student boundaries. Four profiles emerged; “sparing investors”, “reserved professionals”, “relational enthusiasts”, and “supportive ambitious” and in terms of interpersonal goals, professional expectancies and values, burnout, career satisfaction and career aspirations. Few quantitative differences were observed between profiles in terms of ethical decision-making, yet thematic analysis highlighted contextual considerations and protective behaviours as key considerations of early career teachers. Study D explored current and prospective social networking behaviour and found both preservice and early career teachers were highly engaged with SNS, with preservice teachers reporting greater usage. Almost half of participants in both the preservice and early career samples reported negative experiences as a result of online social networking such as bullying or workplace issues. In relation to connecting with students, early career teachers were more likely to accept a friend request from a past student than preservice teachers. Taken together, these studies explore individual differences in teacher-student boundaries as they are perceived by preservice and early career teachers in Victoria. The PIBS is presented as a valid contemporary measure of perceptions towards teacher-student interactions, and differences of experience and culture considered. Implications of the findings are considered in relation to teacher selection processes, the ethics curriculum in teacher education, and regulation of the teaching profession in Australia.

This paper captures and reports on mathematics pre-service teacher (PST) voices. Mathematics PSTs, in a tertiary mathematics secondary curriculum teaching subject assessment, were asked to perform a small-scale literature review on an issue they identified as important in mathematics teaching. The assessment, written as an article, required literature-based recommendations, a reflection on how this would impact the PST’s future teaching and guidance for all mathematics teachers. The article was aimed for publication by the Mathematics Association of Victoria—a state-based mathematics professional association in Australia. PSTs were advised that articles would potentially be published, and their voice would reach practicing mathematics teachers. The published articles, which capture pre-career mathematics teacher voices were analysed for insight into what four PSTs said of their future teaching to a mathematics teacher audience. The professional teacher standards were recognised to influence comments given the strong emphasis of standards within initial teacher education courses. Findings speak to what mathematics PSTs expect of their future teaching role prior to being in-service. The paper contributes a snapshot of early established professional voices in a discipline where there is currently a shortage and highlights the messages that emerged.

The status of geography as a separate school subject in Czechia is being increasingly questioned as pupils’ interest in it is declining. Pre-service teachers (i.e. teacher trainees at universities) are key players in recontextualizing geography education in the future. Therefore, understanding pre-service teachers’ conceptions of geography and its teaching are crucial. This article reports on the results of a survey of Czech secondary pre-service teachers’ conceptions regarding geography and its teaching. Our contribution to the literature extends existing knowledge by using a latent class analysis providing deep insight into the conceptions of geography and its teaching. The survey was conducted among a group of 114 secondary pre-service geography teachers studying at five universities in Czechia. A classification of conceptions of geography and its teaching developed by Simon Catling served as an analytical framework. The findings indicate that a majority of Czech pre-service geography teachers had a descriptive, information-oriented, and non-relational conception of geography and its teaching. The research results showed two homogenous groups of pre-service geography teachers: knowledge-oriented essentialists and learner-centred progressivists. This paper concludes by suggesting implications for pre-service geography teacher education.

이 연구에서는 중등 예비화학교사의 수업 계획에서 교사용 지도서의 활용 방식을 분석하였다. 서울 소재 사범대학에 재학 중인 11명의 예비교사가 연구에 참여하였다. 예비교사들에게 교과서와 교사용 지도서 및 부속자료를 제공하고 이를 활용하여 일반적인 수업과 과학 교수학습 모형을 활용한 수업을 계획하도록 하였다. 예비교사들이 작성한 교수학습 지도안과 활동지, 면담 결과를 분석하였다. 연구 결과, 대부분의 예비교사들은 교사용 지도서의 차시 구분을 그대로 따랐으나, 전체 대단원의 차시 구성이나 교육과정 상의 내용 간 연계에 대한 고려는 부족하였다. 또한, 수업에 적용할 모형을 선정할 때 제시된 예시 지도안의 도움을 받는 경우도 있었다. 교수학습 활동 측면에서 일반적인 수업에서는 교과서의 탐구 활동에 제시된 질문을 변형하였고, 모형을 적용한 수업에서는 모형의 각 단계에 맞춰 교과서의 탐구 활동을 변형하였다. 대부분의 예비교사들이 부속자료로 제공된 활동지를 활용하지 않고 교사용 지도서와 부속자료를 응용하여 활동지를 제작하였다. 예비교사들은 예시 지도안에 제시된 평가 단계를 보고 교수학습 평가 요소를 인식하였으나, 교과서나 교사용 지도서, 부속자료를 응용하여 주로 내용 지식을 평가하기 위한 지필평가를 계획하였다. 예비교사들은 교사용 지도서에 제시된 소단원 도입 질문이 학생의 흥미 유발에 효과적이지 않다고 평가하여, 이를 변형하거나 새로운 내용을 추가하였다. 이러한 연구 결과를 바탕으로 예비교사 교육과정에서 예비교사의 PDC 향상을 위한 교사용 지도서의 효과적인 활용 방안과 교사용 지도서의 개선 방향에 대해 논의하였다. In this study, we investigated pre-service secondary chemistry teachers' use of teacher's guide in planning lessons. Eleven pre-service teachers at a college of education in Seoul participated in this study. Textbooks and teacher's guide books including various teaching materials were provided. Pre-service teachers used teacher's guide while they planned two lessons, which were a lecture and an instruction using science teaching model. A semi-structured interview was conducted. All of the teaching-learning materials and interviews were analyzed. The analyses of the results revealed that most pre-service teachers followed each lesson presented in teacher's guide, but they did not consider the structure of the whole unit and science curriculum. There were some cases that the exemplary lesson planning in teacher's guide helped them to select science teaching model. They modified the questions of textbook activity in planning their lecture. On the other hand, they modified the activity to fit each stage of the model in planning their instruction using science teaching models. Most pre-service teachers constructed their own worksheets by applying the materials of the teacher's guide. They recognized the components of assessment by considering exemplary lesson planning from the teacher's guide, and created questions by modifying the content of textbooks and teacher's guide books including various teaching materials. However, the questions which they made were limited in context of knowledge. They evaluated that introductory questions were not of interest to students, and modified or added new materials. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.

In this initial phase of our multi-year research study we set out to explore the development of leadership skills in our pre-service secondary teachers after using an online wiki, Wikispaces. This paper presents our methods for preparing a group of 13 mathematics and 3 science secondary pre-service teachers to demonstrate the essential knowledge, skills and dispositions of beginning teacher leaders. Our findings indicate the pre-service teachers' overall satisfaction with demonstrating leadership through collaborative practices. They were successful in these new roles as teacher/collaborator within the context of communication about content standards. Though the candidates participated in other collaborative tasks, this effort was noted for bringing together technology, content standards and leadership qualities that are critical for beginning teachers. Implications for addressing the preservice teachers' development of leadership skills, as they become professional teachers will be shared.

This study examines the approaches displayed by pre-service mathematics teachers in their experiences of constructing mathematical modelling problems and the extent to which they perform the modelling process when solving the problems they construct. This case study was carried out with 35 pre-service teachers taking the Mathematical Modelling course, offered for the first time as an elective course in a secondary mathematics teacher training department in a public university in Turkey. The data were obtained from the modelling problems prepared by the pre-service mathematics teachers in the last 3 weeks of the Mathematical Modelling course, the video recordings of these problems’ presentations and the pre-service teachers’ responses to the questions they were asked about their presentations. When analyzing the participants’ approaches to construct and solve mathematical modelling problems, the main focus of attention included the appropriateness of the problems for modelling and of the solutions to the modelling process, as well as the approaches displayed in these stages. The study’s results demonstrated that the pre-service teachers considered various criteria when constructing modelling problems such as relevance to life, the possibility of being solved by mathematical knowledge and attracting attention and were found to be successful in understanding and simplifying the modelling process, however, they had difficulties in the interpreting and validating steps.

This exploratory mixed method study aimed to investigate the impact of occupational anxiety and academic hopelessness on pre-service mathematics teachers' academic achievement. The study also aimed to explore pre-service mathematics teachers' perspectives on this effect and to determine how these levels vary according to gender and grade level variables. In addition to a quantitative approach using the relational survey model, a qualitative approach with a case study design was also used in the study. The participants consisted of 184 prospective mathematics teachers who were selected using random sampling method. The qualitative dimension of the research was carried out with 12 pre-service teachers who were voluntarily selected among the participants. The measurement tools used in the study included the “Professional Anxiety Scale for Student Teachers”, the “Academic Hopelessness Scale”, the final semester “Weighted Grade Point Average” to assess academic achievement, and a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. The results show that pre-service mathematics teachers exhibit high levels of academic hopelessness and moderate levels of occupational anxiety. Gender was found to have a significant effect on occupational anxiety levels with a high effect size, and grade level was found to make a difference in favor of 4th graders in terms of academic hopelessness levels. Finally, there was a low level of positive correlation between pre-service teachers' academic hopelessness levels and their academic achievement.

This study aims to examine preservice science and mathematics teachers’ mathematics anxiety and beliefs about the nature of mathematics, as well as to reveal whether they differ according to the department. Moreover, this study investigates whether there is a relationship between beliefs about the nature of mathematics and mathematics anxiety. The participants of the study were 213 junior and senior preservice elementary science and mathematics teachers. Data collection tools were Philosophical Thoughts about the Nature of Mathematics Scale (PTNM) and Mathematics Anxiety Scale (MAS). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze mathematics anxiety and beliefs scores of preservice elementary teachers. The study revealed that most of the preservice teachers’ scores on beliefs about the nature of mathematics high and their mathematics anxiety scores were low. The results indicated that there were significant differences in both belief scores and mathematics anxiety scores in favor of preservice mathematics teachers. In addition, there was a high negative correlation between pre-service teachers’ PTNM and MAS scores.

This study aimed to develop a specific Mathematical Content Knowledge (MCK) test focused on multiplication for pre-service mathematics teachers in Indonesia and Türkiye. No assessment tool exists to measure MCK related to multiplication among pre-service mathematics teachers. We used convenience sampling to obtain data from third- and fourth-year pre-service teachers in Indonesian and Turkish mathematics teacher education programs. The test items were administered to 423 Indonesian pre-service mathematics teachers and 413 Turkish pre-service mathematics teachers, and their responses were analyzed using factor analysis. The MCK test was found to be reliable, with 18 items that were grouped into four components: procedural knowledge of multiplication (C1), understanding of multiple representations (C2), conceptual knowledge of multiplication (C3), and anticipating students' thinking (C4). The study results suggest that a valid MCK test helps evaluate multiplication in these four components. Additionally, the study findings indicate that Indonesian pre-service teachers score higher in the C1 and C4 categories, while Turkish pre-service teachers score higher in the C2 and C3 categories.

This article presents a conceptual framework for studying the relationship between cognition and instructional practices of preservice secondary mathematics teachers. It describes how the framework was used as a basis for activities in which preservice teachers engaged in structured reflection on their teaching as a means towards their professional growth. The approach required student teachers to engage in both prelesson and postlesson reflective activities. These activities are described, and details of two cases are given. This article demonstrates how this approach can facilitate the progression of preservice teachers' pedagogical techniques and conceptions.

Little emphasis has been given on the pre-service mathematics teachers’ learning needs on the required subject matter knowledge and skills for which they have been expected to possess at their final level of graduation, as a basis for teaching secondary school mathematics. This study employed qualitative research design, in which 30 pre-service mathematics have been interviewed on their mathematics learning needs. The finding of the study revealed that learning experiences of the training was adequate, but there is disconnection between the training curriculum and school mathematics subject matter for which the pre-service teachers have been train to teach. The pre-service mathematics teachers have viewed lecturer of the program as non-supportive which prevent them from active learning. This suggests that the program should include school mathematics curriculum in the training to enable the pre-service mathematics teachers to acquire the subject matter knowledge for which they have been train to teach. Lecturers of the program should change their attitude and behavior which might have adverse effect on pre-service mathematics teachers’ learning.

The aim of this study is to discuss the conceptual dimensions of pre-service mathematics teachers' approaches to the basic concepts and operations of mathematics. 25 pre-service mathematics teachers in the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, who were educated at a state university, participated in the research. Four open-ended questions about the basic concepts of mathematics were asked to pre-service mathematics teachers and their written opinions were received. Content and descriptive analysis were applied to the responses. As a result of the analyzes, pre-service teachers did not approach these questions in the context of conceptual knowledge, but generally gave the answers in the context of procedural knowledge. Pre-service mathematics teachers used reflective thinking, which they used to compare the procedural knowledge processes they gained in the formal education process with the previous solutions, in these question solutions as well.

This exploratory qualitative case study design aims to examine the mathematization process employed by pre-service mathematics teachers during instruction grounded in Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) within Plane Geometry. It was studied as this shall have a cascading effect on the teaching–learning of schools. Carried out at a teacher education college in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, the study used 27 pre-service mathematics teachers, who constituted one class as participants. The methods of data collection encompassed observation, informal discussions, and semi-structured interviews. The findings pinpoint significant progress, persistent challenges, and possible barriers to integrating realist mathematical artifacts and conceptions in class. Through the RME-centric mathematization instruction, these pre-service mathematics teachers crafted individual problem-solving strategies for comprehensive word problems relating to plane geometry and real-life contexts. Impressively, some participants even managed to leverage alternative equations and theorems not covered in the course materials. However, challenges emerged. The breadth of content, the nature of the curriculum, and specific limitations in the pre-service teachers' proficiencies were underscored as potential hurdles in the pre-service mathematics teacher's mathematization process to draw conjectures and mathematical concept formulations, including deriving relations among geometry concepts while solving geometry problems.