Situational effects of mathematics anxiety in pre-service teacher education (original) (raw)
Related papers
A Study Of Mathematics Anxiety in Pre-Service Teachers
Early Childhood Education Journal, 2007
The study investigated the changes in levels of mathematics anxiety among pre-service teachers in six different sections of a mathematics method courses for early childhood/elementary education pre-service teachers. The changes were a function of using BrunerÕs framework of developing conceptual knowledge before procedural knowledge and using manipulatives and other activities to make mathematics concepts more concrete and meaningful. Data were collected using quantitative and qualitative measures. Two hundred forty-six pre-service teachers completed a 98-item Likert-type survey. Informal discussions, informal interviews, and questionnaire-guided narrative interviews were conducted with pre-service teachers. Data revealed a statistically significant reduction in mathematics anxiety in pre-service teachers (p < .001) who completed a mathematics methods course that emphasized BrunerÕs model of concept development. Results of the study have implications for teacher education programs concerning how future teachers are trained, the measurement of mathematics anxiety levels among pre-service teachers, and the determination of specific contexts in which mathematics anxiety can be interpreted and reduced.
2018
Mathematics anxiety affects primary pre-service teachers’ engagement with and future teaching of mathematics. The study aimed to assess the level and range of mathematics anxiety in first year pre-service teachers entering their teacher education course, and to investigate the sources of this anxiety as perceived and identified by them. Data collection methods included the RMARS survey, and Critical Incident Technique. The results indicate that the most common negative impacts on pre-service teacher mathematical self-concept involved experiences with teachers. However, their current mathematics anxiety is most commonly aroused under testing or evaluation situations.
2013
This article reviews literature regarding numeracy and mathematics anxiety and considers the role of teacher efficacy as a predictor of teachers' competence and commitment to teaching. This examination of previous studies leads to discussion of a proposed project that is predicted to confirm the expected correlations between high Anxiety / poor Numeracy levels and lowered retention rates of University pre-service Education students. The study will inform pedagogy in addressing problems in pre-service teachers, especially for groups at high risk such as low SES and Indigenous students-these students often miss out on targeted help. The findings should lead to better long-term outcomes for pre-service teachers and their future students. It has high significance as many current University pre-service Education students exhibit mathematics problems. The method would involve both general surveys of current students in Numeracy courses and follow up interviews. An intervention strategy would be developed and offered to at-risk students.
Teacher Development, 2020
This study explores effects of teaching experience and specialized mathematics education on mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety. Fifty-nine female pre-service and in-service mathematics primary school teachers with varied specialized mathematics education and teaching experience responded to a questionnaire measuring mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety. The results illustrate that specialized mathematics education affects in-service primary school teachers' mathematics anxiety, and that teaching experience is associated with mathematics teaching anxiety. Moreover, mathematics anxiety of some in-service primary teachers without specialization does not fade with time. The discussion highlights the importance of identifying mathematics anxiety in primary school teachers with no specialized mathematics education, aiming to lower it. The small sample and participants' background limit the power of the findings. This study recommends conducting further studies according to the suggested mathematics anxiety cognitive-behavioral model; addressing cultural differences, teachers with and without specialized mathematics education, and comparing middle and secondary teachers.
Mature age pre-service teachers' mathematics anxiety and factors impacting on university retention
2013
The ability of primary (elementary) pre-service teachers to engage effectively in mathematics units in a rigorous program is vital to producing citizens who are able to use mathematics effectively in their lives. Mathematics anxiety affects pre-service primary teachers’ engagement with and future teaching of mathematics. The study measured the range of mathematics anxiety in two hundred and nineteen pre-service teachers starting a teacher education course in an Australian university. They completed the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Scale (RMARS) and a set of demographic questions. Age differences in anxiety were found to be significant, and this has implications for university retention of mature age pre-service primary teachers.
School Science and Mathematics
This paper presents qualitative and quantitative approaches to exploring teachers' experiences of mathematics anxiety (for learning and doing mathematics) and mathematics teaching anxiety (for instructing others in mathematics), the relationship between these types of anxiety and test/evaluation anxiety, and the impacts of anxiety on experiences in teacher education. Findings indicate that mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety may be similar (i.e., that preservice teachers perceive a logical continuity and cumulative effect of their experiences of mathematics anxiety as learners in K-12 classrooms that impacts their work as teachers in future K-12classrooms). Further, anxiety is not limited to occurring in evaluative settings, but when anxiety is triggered by thoughts of evaluation, preservice teachers may be affected by worrying about their own as well as their students' performances. The implications for preservice experiences within a teacher education program and for impacting future students are discussed. Literature Review Mathematics anxiety (anxiety when asked to learn or perform mathematics) and mathematics teaching anxiety (anxiety when asked to teach mathematics) are an ongoing concern for preservice teacher (PST) education. However, little is known about how the two types of anxiety relate and whether they differentially or collaboratively impact PSTs. In fact, the distinction between MA and MTA is relatively recent. Accordingly, this paper brings together qualitative and quantitative work to begin exploring PSTs' experiences of both types of anxiety and the effects of those experiences on teacher education.
Feeling Good about Teaching Mathematics: Addressing Anxiety amongst Pre-Service Teachers
Research regarding pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards teaching mathematics has revealed that many pre-service teachers experience high levels of mathematics anxiety about both the learning of mathematics and the teaching of the mathematics curriculum. Little is known about the particular characteristics of pre-service teachers that make them more likely to experience anxiety about mathematics in the early years. Addressing anxiety towards mathematics and the teaching of mathematics could effectively eliminate later problems in teaching. Teaching mathematics confidently is associated with teachers’ beliefs about their mathematical ability, which is their mathematical self-efficacy. This paper reports on an investigation into the anxiety of first- year pre-service teachers towards their future teaching of mathematics. 223 students enrolled in a first-year mathematics unit for birth to eight years, in the Bachelor of Education of Early Childhood and Primary Education Courses attributed their beliefs about mathematics to external—their past teachers—or internal factors: that one is either good at mathematics or not. The findings highlight the need for pre-service teacher’s anxiety about mathematics to be addressed within the university education classroom context so that pre-service teachers become capable and competent teachers of mathematics.
The level of mathematics anxiety among pre-service elementary school teachers
The aim of this study is to investigate the level of mathematics anxiety among pre-service elementary school teachers. Survey method was used in this descriptive type study. The sample of the study consisted of 207 pre-service elementary school teachers. To assess mathematics anxiety level, a mathematics anxiety scale composed of 39 items developed by Ülda (2005) was used. The data were analyzed by independent samples t-test using the SPSS 13.0 statistics program. In conclusion with the analysis, the level of mathematics anxiety of pre-service elementary school teachers was interpreted as low and the difference based on gender was not significant. On the other hand, there were significant differences according to class, perceived ability and perceived success levels. Finally, suggestions to teacher educators were provided to overcome mathematics anxiety.
CAUSES UNDERLYING PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' NEGATIVE BELIEFS AND ANXIETIES ABOUT MATHEMATICS
This article reports on a study that investigated the causes underlying a sample of eighteen third-year Australian pre-service primary teachers' negative beliefs and anxiety about mathematics. It was found that most of the participants' maths-anxiety could be attributed to their primary school experiences in learning mathematics. Situations such as teaching mathematics or being evaluated in mathematics were noted as particularly stressful and mathematical topics such as algebra, space and number sense were specifically identified to cause maths-anxiety. The paper concludes with a brief discussion about the implications of these findings for an ensuing program whose purpose is to help these pre-service teachers address their negative beliefs and anxieties about mathematics.
Australian Association For Research in Education, 2012
The issue of mathematics anxiety and its possible links to mathematical competence have long been of concern to mathematics educators, particularly with the potential of the effects of mathematics anxiety to be transmitted from teacher to student. Hence it is in the interests of teacher educators to understand the nature of mathematics anxiety and connections that may exist between mathematics anxiety and mathematical competence. This study examines the connections between sitting a mathematics competency test and situational anxiety in a group of 47 pre-service teachers in their first year of study. Data were analysed by grouping the pre-service teachers into one of three groups based on their passing test score (a mark of 80 -89% or a mark of 90% and above) or their having not sat the competency test. Results indicate that there were strong correlations between the three groups of pre-service teachers in their overall responses to the anxiety questionnaires. However, when data were considered in terms of situations (working in a group, taking a test, and teaching mathematics) and domains (somatic, knowledge, cognitive, and attitude), differences were evident. The implications of these results and the potential impact on teacher education programs are discussed.