The Causes Of Mathematics Anxiety In Elementary Preservice Teachers And Proposals For Decreasing Mathematics Anxiety (The Example Of Faculty Of Erzincan Education)

Abstract

In this study, we had three purposes, the first of which was to examine whether elementary preservice teachers had mathematics anxiety or not, and if they had it, then to find out the causes of their mathematics anxiety, the second of which was to investigate how mathematics teaching affected preservice teachers’ mathe- matics anxiety, the third of which was to raise proposals resulting from elementary preservice teachers’ experiences to decrease mathematics anxiety. This study involved totally 52 senior-level undergraduate elementary pre- service teachers (20 female and 32 male). We collected all data with four ways; Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, Determination Scale of Factors Effecting Mathematics Determination Scale of How Anxiety affected, and Interviews. Our results showed that elementary preservice teachers had mathematics anxiety and that mathematics teaching reduced their mathematics anxiety. In this study, teachers’ negative attitudes and their unrealistic course applications, taking time-limited mathematics test, fear of doing something wrong in class, not being able to ask anything to teachers, insufficient group works and chance of work con- crete material and manipulation were important causes of increasing mathematics anxiety. We advised meaningful learning and its practice based on why, what and how it was done in mathematics and daily life with using skills of mega cognition mathematical thinking in democratic and supportive environment