Effects of Teaching in a Summer STEM Camp on the Mathematics Teaching Self-efficacy of Highly Qualified Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers

Educational opportunity gaps experienced by students of color living in poverty, with accompanying lower levels of mathematics achievement, remain a roadblock to their access to college-level training in STEM fields. To address this problem, secondary teachers must be confident in their ability to share mathematics content effectively with students from cultures different than their own. Bridging the opportunity gap is more likely with two elements in place: intellectually stimulating pre-college experiences and community partnerships that establish connections between underserved neighborhoods and resource-filled environments such as university campuses. This study explored the effects of teaching in a four-week STEM summer camp for ethnically diverse, high-needs middle school girls on the teaching self-efficacy of highly-qualified preservice secondary mathematics teachers, a group that has been less studied than preservice elementary teachers. Participants were scholarship students in a federally-funded teacher preparation scholarship program at an urban, metropolitan university. Teaching self-efficacy was measured by the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (MTEBI) and by follow-up qualitative analysis of questionnaire responses and focus groups. Participants’ gains on the MTEBI were significant for Personal Mathematics Teaching Efficacy, but not for Mathematics Teaching Outcome Expectancy. Qualitative analyses suggested that both instructional coaching and everyday interactions in a summer camp setting contributed strongly to the preservice teachers’ increased confidence about teaching mathematics to culturally diverse, high-needs learners.

Investigation of Mathematics Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Teaching Mathematics in the COVID-19 Pandemic Process

Teachers’ beliefs about teaching mathematics have a great influence on students’ success in mathematics. In addition, teachers with high teaching efficacy beliefs create classroom environments where students can be more successful. In the light of this information, the importance of understanding mathematics teachers’ beliefs about their competence has to be considered in mathematics teaching. In this study, a relational survey model was used to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ efficacy beliefs about teaching mathematics in terms of some variables. The sample of the study consists of 165 mathematics teachers selected with the stratified sampling method. In this study, Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Scale, developed by Enochs, Smith, and Huinker (2000) and adapted to Turkish by Takunyacı and Aydın (2013) was used. The first finding of our study is mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics teaching were medium level. The second finding of our study is the personal mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of male teachers were significantly higher than female teachers, while female teachers’ efficacy beliefs about outcome expectations in mathematics teaching were significantly higher than male teachers. The third finding of our study is efficacy beliefs of mathematics teachers working in private high schools about the outcome expectation in mathematics teaching were significantly higher than the mathematics teachers working in public high schools. In the last finding of our study, it was found that the personal mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of mathematics teachers with professional seniority of 11 years or more were significantly higher than teachers with professional seniority of 0-5 years.

Investigation of Mathematics Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Teaching Mathematics in the COVID-19 Pandemic Process

Teachers’ beliefs about teaching mathematics have a great influence on students’ success in mathematics. In addition, teachers with high teaching efficacy beliefs create classroom environments where students can be more successful. In the light of this information, the importance of understanding mathematics teachers’ beliefs about their competence has to be considered in mathematics teaching. In this study, a relational survey model was used to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ efficacy beliefs about teaching mathematics in terms of some variables. The sample of the study consists of 165 mathematics teachers selected with the stratified sampling method. In this study, Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Scale, developed by Enochs, Smith, and Huinker (2000) and adapted to Turkish by Takunyacı and Aydın (2013) was used. The first finding of our study is mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics teaching were medium level. The second finding of our study is the personal mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of male teachers were significantly higher than female teachers, while female teachers’ efficacy beliefs about outcome expectations in mathematics teaching were significantly higher than male teachers. The third finding of our study is efficacy beliefs of mathematics teachers working in private high schools about the outcome expectation in mathematics teaching were significantly higher than the mathematics teachers working in public high schools. In the last finding of our study, it was found that the personal mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of mathematics teachers with professional seniority of 11 years or more were significantly higher than teachers with professional seniority of 0-5 years.

Pre-service Primary Education Teachers' Achievement Goals in Mathematics and Their Approach to Learning and Teaching Mathematics / Ciljevi postignuća u matematici budućih osnovnoškolskih učitelja i njihov pristup učenju i poučavanju matematike

In Croatia, as in many other countries, primary education teachers are trained as generalists and mathematics is only one of several different subjects that they teach, so when choosing their profession they are not necessarily drawn by their interest in becoming a mathematics teacher. Still, it is very important that they have a positive attitude towards mathematics and are motivated to teach it to their students. The aim of this study was to explore whether pre-service teachers with different achievement goal profiles have different beliefs about mathematics and teaching and learning mathematics. The participants were 325 pre-service primary education students. The research was conducted in three waves, during the students’ first, third and fifth year of study. In their first year of studies, we collected data on the achievement goals in mathematics that they had in high school, and self-efficacy in mathematics. Epistemic beliefs, subjective value of mathematics and mathematics anxiety were assessed at all measurement points. In their third and fifth year of study, we also collected data on the participants’ mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs and, in their fifth year, beliefs on teaching and learning mathematics. The results of the cluster analysis showed that we could group pre-service primary education teachers into three groups according to the profiles of their achievement goals in high school: (1) all goals high, (2) all goals low, (3) mastery orientation. The results showed differences between the groups in terms of motivation for learning mathematics at the beginning of their studies. However, these differences tend to be less prominent over time. At the end of their studies, they do not differ in their mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs or their beliefs about teaching and learning mathematics.Key words: achievement goals; mathematics education; motivation; teacher education; teachers’ beliefs---U Hrvatskoj, kao i u mnogim drugim zemljama, osnovnoškolski učitelji korisnici su generaliziranoga obrazovanja i Matematika je samo jedan od nekoliko različitih predmeta koje poučavaju, tako da ih pri odabiru profesije nužno ne privlači interes da budu učitelji matematike. Ipak, njihov pozitivan stav prema matematici i motivacija za poučavanje učenika matematici vrlo su važni. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja ispitati imaju li učitelji s različitim profilima ciljeva postignuća različita uvjerenja o matematici i poučavanju i učenju matematike. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 325 studenata, budućih učitelja primarnoga obrazovanja. Istraživanje je provedeno u tri ciklusa: tijekom prve, treće i pete godine studija ispitanika. Na prvoj godini studija prikupljali smo podatke o ciljevima postignuća u matematici koje su sudionici imali u srednjoj školi i o samo-učinkovitosti u matematici. Epistemološka uvjerenja, subjektivnu vrijednost matematike i tjeskobu procjenjivali smo u svim ciklusima mjerenja. Na trećoj i petoj godini studija sudionika također smo prikupljali podatke o njihovim uvjerenjima o učinkovitosti u poučavanju matematike i, na petoj godini, uvjerenja o poučavanju i učenju matematike. Rezultati klaster analize pokazali su da se budući učitelji, studenti primarnoga obrazovanja, mogu grupirati u tri skupine prema profilima ciljeva postignuća u srednjoj školi: (1) svi visoki ciljevi, (2) svi niski ciljevi i (3) orijentacija prema vještini. Dobiveni rezultati pokazali su razlike između skupina s obzirom na motivaciju za učenje matematike na početku studija. Ipak, te su razlike manje uočljive tijekom vremena. Na kraju studija sudionici se ne razlikuju u svojim uvjerenjima o učinkovitosti u poučavanju matematike niti u svojim uvjerenjima o učenju matematike.Ključne riječi: ciljevi postignuća; matematičko obrazovanje; motivacija; obrazovanje učitelja; uvjerenja učitelja

Student-Teachers’ Beliefs towards Learning Mathematics and Beliefs of Mathematics Teaching Efficacy and their Relation to their Perception of the Development of Pupils’ Understanding of Mathematics

The present study aimed at investigating the student-teachers’ beliefs towards learning mathematics, and beliefs of mathematics teaching efficacy and their relation to their perception of the development of pupils’ understanding of mathematics. Three measures were used in this study: The beliefs towards learning mathematics, the mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs, and the mathematics teacher's perception of the development of pupils’ understanding. Validity and reliability were established. A sample of student-teachers participated in the study. The results of the study showed that the more the positive student-teachers’ beliefs towards learning mathematics, the greater their mathematics teaching-efficacy was. Similarly, the greater the positive student-teachers’ belief towards learning mathematics, the more they become aware of the development of pupils’ understanding of mathematics. Finally, increasing the teaching efficacy of mathematics student-teachers was associated with an increase in their perception of the development of pupils’ understanding of mathematics. Both beliefs and teaching efficacy explained significant variance in the perception of their pupils’ understanding of mathematics.