Elementary Mathematics Teachers Research Articles

Preparing Preservice Teachers to Teach Equitably: A Longitudinal, Collaborative Interrogation of Two Mathematics Teacher Educators’ Positionalities

ABSTRACT Just as elementary mathematics teaching is complex and lacks a single appropriate method, the same is true for mathematics teacher education. There is no consensus around the best approach to preparing prospective mathematics teachers to have a strong command of mathematical concepts, a robust understanding of pedagogical approaches, and a disposition towards children and mathematics that accounts for the historical, sociocultural, and political contexts. We designed a longitudinal, collaborative self-study to explore the experiences and perspectives of each author, their pedagogical design of mathematics teacher education, and the connections of these to prospective teachers’ readiness to teach mathematics equitably. As part of a structured reflective process, we engaged in collaborative interrogation of written accounts of our backgrounds, experiences, and instructional choices. We also analyzed, using documentation tables and code mapping, journal entries following teaching sessions and inventories of class assignments to scrutinize if learning outcomes were realized in earnest. Our findings highlight how our personal and professional experiences shape our perspectives on schooling and mathematics teaching and learning, and how we make sense of equity in these contexts. These perspectives are evident in our course design and instruction, although this interrogation has raised questions about the efficacy of our work vis-a-vis our larger goals of preparing critically conscious mathematics teachers. This self-study underscores the imperative for mathematics teacher educators to examine both the contents of their course work and field experiences, as well as understand the reasons why those instructional choices were made.

The Effectiveness of Case Method Learning in View of Students' Critical Thinking Ability

This study aims to describe the effectiveness of the case method in terms of students' critical thinking skills. This type of research is a quasy experiment with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The population of this study was all students of the Elementary School Teacher Education Study Program (PGSD) at the University of Mataram. The sample used in this study were 29 semesters 2 students taking elementary school mathematics education courses. Data collection techniques using test and non-test techniques. The instrument for collecting data uses a critical thinking ability test. The analysis technique uses the normality test for the prerequisite test, the t-test to find out the difference in the pretest and posttest averages, and the N-Gain score test to determine the effectiveness of the case method. The results showed that the results of the pretest and posttest of students' critical thinking skills obtained successive significance scores of 0.088 > 0.05 and 0.094 > 0.05 meaning that the data was normally distributed. Furthermore, the statistical results of the t-test showed a significance value of 0.000 <0.05. This means that there is a significant difference in average between the pretest and posttest. While the result of the N-Gain score is 0.713 and is in the high category, it can be said that the implementation of the case method has a high level of effectiveness on students' critical thinking skills.

Learning data science in elementary school mathematics: a comparative curriculum analysis

BackgroundData literacy is increasingly important in today’s data-driven world. Students across many educational systems first formally learn about data in elementary school not as a separate subject but via the mathematics curriculum. This experience can create tensions in the priorities of learning and assessment given the presence of other foundational mathematics content domains such as numbers, algebra, measurement, and geometry. There is a need to study data literacy in comparison to these other content domains in elementary mathematics. To address this need, we developed a methodology motivated by thinking curriculum theory and aligned with international assessment framework, for comparative analysis across mathematics content domains. This methodology examined increasing levels of cognitive domains from knowing to applying to reasoning across mathematics content domains. Intended, assessed, and attained curricula were analyzed using Singapore as a case study, combined with broader comparisons to attainments in four East Asian countries in TIMSS, an international large-scale assessment.ResultsWe found that learning in the data domain had very limited coverage in intended and assessed curricula in Singapore. However, compared to other mathematics content domains, the data curriculum placed heavier emphasis on higher-order cognitive domains including the use of generally difficult mixed data visualizations. This demanding curriculum in Singapore was associated with the highest attainment in the data domain among average 4th grade Singaporean students relative to students in four East Asian countries in TIMSS, as analyzed by quantile regression. However, lower-performing Singaporean students at the 10th percentile generally did not outperform their East Asian peers. We further found very limited applications of data in other mathematics domains or cross-domain learning more generally.ConclusionOur study offers a comparative analysis of the data curriculum in elementary school mathematics education. While the data curriculum was cognitively demanding and translated to very high average attainments of Singaporean students, the curriculum did not equally help weaker Singaporean students, with implications on current discourse on equity–excellence trade-off in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Our study further highlights the lack of cross-domain learning in mathematics involving data. Despite the broad applicability of data science, elementary school students’ first formal experience with data may lack emphasis on its cross-domain applications, suggesting a need to further integrate data skills and competencies into the mathematics curriculum and beyond.

Pelatihan Pembelajaran Matematika Inovatif di Sekolah Dasar

Community service activities in the form of elementary mathematics learning training. This activity was carried out at SDN 032 Kebun Sari, Wonomulyo District, Polman Regency, West Sulawesi, Indonesia. Participants in the community service activities were elementary school mathematics teachers who were members of the Teacher Working Group in Wonomulyo District, Polewali Mandar Regency. The objectives of the community service activities are: (1) Increasing knowledge of innovative mathematics learning strategies for elementary school teachers; and (2) Increasing the knowledge of elementary school teachers about elementary math concept knowledge. Community service activities have increased elementary mathematics teachers' understanding of learning strategies and knowledge of elementary math concepts for math teachers in the Wonomulyo sub-district.

Teachers’ Actions and Students’ Engagement Behaviors During Number System Knowledge Discussions: Implications for Enhancing Active Engagement

A critical challenge for elementary mathematics teachers is meeting the learning needs of all students, especially when there is variability in students’ number knowledge. Because young students’ number system knowledge (NSK) contributes to future success in mathematics, NSK activities must be designed to engage all students, particularly students who have struggled to engage in mathematics, to help students build early number knowledge. In this manuscript, we describe a quick images number sense intervention implemented across five second-grade teachers and 75 students, and examine outcomes related to teacher actions and student engagement behaviors. The results of our mixed-methods study indicate that the intervention provided multiple ways for students of varying abilities to engage with and learn the content. Our results provide practical implications for teachers, and prompt questions to evaluate in future research.

Development of Sipitung Media (Smart Calculating Action) on Summary Materials in Improving Students' Learning Outcomes in Class 1 Students of SD Negeri 2 Kumbang

This study aims to examine the feasibility, practicality, and effectiveness of the developed media. In this study the method used is research and development (R&D) because the product being developed is learning media in real form, not software engineering. The model used in this research and development is the ADDIE model which consists of 5 stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. In the analysis phase, researchers analyzed needs based on observations and interviews with elementary school mathematics teachers. The design stage is the stage in determining the selection of materials, determining the design, and the initial design of the Sipitung learning media (smart count action) to be made. Development, namely the feasibility testing stage of the sipitung media (smart count action) carried out by material experts and design experts obtained a score of 98.3% with very feasible criteria. The implementation stage, namely the practicality test of sipitung media (smart count action) by giving a questionnaire to grade 1 mathematics teachers obtained a score of 100% and 15 grade 1 students obtained a score of 94.83% with very practical criteria to use. The final stage is evaluation, namely testing the effectiveness of the Sipitung media (smart count action) in improving student learning outcomes with an average score before using the media of 56.33 and after using it 90.33.

Opinions of Pre-service Elementary School Mathematics Teachers on Misconceptions

The aim of this study is to determine the opinions of pre-service elementary school mathematics teachers about misconceptions. For this purpose, case study, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The study was conducted with 54 pre-service elementary school mathematics teachers. The data collection tool of the research consists of written response papers that they give to open-ended questions asked to participants. The views of pre-service elementary school mathematics teachers to open-ended questions were analyzed by content analysis. In order to prevent misconceptions that may arise during the lesson, pre-service elementary school mathematics teachers stated that they would; investigate the misconceptions, prepare for the lesson, study the subject, concretize the subject, visualize, determine the pre-learning, give daily life examples, etc. In order to determine whether their students have misconceptions, they stated that they would ask questions, evaluate the answers, solve the test, examine the mistakes and questions, observe the reactions, etc. It is recommended for further research to examine how pre-service elementary school mathematics teachers take precautions to avoid misconceptions by preparing a lesson plan, and to examine the situations of determining and correcting mistakes in students by observing the lessons of the teachers.

An investigation of prospective elementary mathematics teachers understanding of the formal definition of the limit of a sequence

The purpose of this study was to investigate the understanding of prospective elementary mathematics teachers of the formal definition of the limit of a sequence. The participants were 32 prospective mathematics teachers (8 male and 24 female) who were in their third year of study in a four-year mathematics teacher preparation programme Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa in Türkiye. The data were collected via a test that was developed by the authors. The findings of the study demonstrate that the prospective elementary mathematics teachers had difficulty in defining the concept of limit of a sequence and in determining the graphical representations of the variables and the inequalities in the formal definition. Moreover, they also had difficulty comprehending the relationship between the variables of 𝜀 and 𝑛0 , and hence, when a numerical value was assigned to one of these variables, they were not able to find an appropriate value for the other. It was concluded that the prospective mathematics teachers generally tended to memorize the formal definition of the limit of sequences but lacked conceptual understanding of its meaning. Therefore, they were not able to reason about the variables it contained.

The Effect of Virtual Reality Assisted Robotics Coding Teaching on Spatial Visualization and Coding Skills

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of virtual reality (VR) assisted robotic coding teaching, which is a different platform used in robotic coding education, on spatial visualization and coding skills. In order to achieve this aim, a research was designed according to the quasi-experimental design with pre-test post-test control group. 56 sophomore students studying in the Elementary Mathematics Teaching program were divided into experimental and control groups. In the experimental application, which lasted for 4 weeks in total, 8 hours of VR assisted robotic coding teaching was given to the experimental group. Students both created and coded the robots using virtual reality versions of the LEGO® Mindstorms EV3 robot sets. In the control group, the students physically used the LEGO® Mindstorms EV3 robot sets and coded the robots they prepared. Before and after the instruction, the spatial visualization and coding skills of the participants in the experimental and control groups were measured and their changes at the end of the process were examined. As a result of the research, it was determined that there was a significant increase in the coding skills and spatial development, spatial rotation and spatial view skills of the pre-service teachers in the Elementary Mathematics Teaching program, who designed and codes robots using virtual reality technology. Accordingly, it was concluded that the use of virtual reality technology instead of the physical sets used in robotic coding teaching had a similar effect on students' coding skills.

Bibliometric Review: Elementary and Mathematics Education from Indonesian Authors

Several studies in the field of elementary education have examined the preparedness of elementary education to meet the challenges of the 4.0 industrial revolution. Unfortunately, there are currently no data that can be considered conclusive regarding the number of international publications pertaining to elementary education in Indonesia. The current study detailed the progress of elementary mathematics education research from the past to the present. Utilizing a literature review methodology, the study determined elementary mathematics education research trends in Indonesia. Then, a bibliometric analysis was conducted with the R package Biblioshiny to evaluate related articles in order to identify research trends, topics, and keywords. This study revealed that among all affiliations and authors, Sriwijaya University's Elementary Mathematics Education is the most influential. The term retrospective analysis currently leads the trend in elementary mathematics education research keyword usage

Examining graphic drawing skills for a socioscientific problem situation

The aim of the study is to examine the graphing skills of prospective elementary mathematics teachers for a socioscientific problem situation related to Covid-19. The research is a qualitative research and was carried out with the case study method.The participants consisted of 43 prospective elementary mathematics teachers studying in the third year of a state university in Turkey. Typical case sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used to determine the participants. In the research, an open-ended question that requires drawing three graphs with vital aspects based on a socio-scientific situation-based scenario was used as a data collection tool. Data analysis consists of two stages. First, the graphs drawn by the prospective elementary mathematics teachers were scored with the descriptive analysis method.Then, the errors in the graphics drawn using the content analysis method were grouped and determined. When the data were analyzed, it was observed that a significant portion of prospective elementary mathematics teachers had deficiencies in their ability to draw graphs about the problem situation in the context of Covid-19. For this reason, when teaching graphics, drawing activities that require more context-based qualitative understanding or technology-assisted teaching applications can be used.

Mathematical Modelling Processes of Elementary Mathematics Teacher Candidates: An Example of Waste of Water

Bu araştırmanın amacı, ilköğretim matematik öğretmeni adaylarının matematiksel modelleme süreçlerini incelemektir. Araştırmada, nitel araştırma yöntemi desenlerinden durum çalışması kullanılmıştır. Araştırmaya, 49’u kadın ve 14’ü erkek olmak üzere toplam 63 ilköğretim matematik öğretmeni adayı katılmıştır. Katılımcılar, amaçlı örnekleme yöntemleri içerisinden ölçüt örnekleme yöntemine göre belirlenmiştir. Araştırmanın veri toplama araçları, araştırmacılar tarafından gerçek yaşam durumuna uygun olarak hazırlanmış matematiksel modelleme problemine ilişkin yazılı yanıt kağıtlarından ve gözlem notlarından oluşmaktadır. Verilerin analizinde içerik analizinden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular, öğretmen adaylarının modelleme basamaklarındaki yeterlilikleri yerine getirmede birtakım güçlükler yaşadığını göstermektedir. Öğretmen adaylarının gerçek hayat problemini anlama, matematiksel model oluşturma ve problemi çözmek için matematiksel işlem yapma basamaklarında sorunlar yaşamadıkları ancak gerçek bir durumda matematiksel sonuçları yorumlamada ve sonuçların geçerliliğini doğrulamada sorunlar yaşadıkları belirlenmiştir. Çalışma sonunda, öğretmen adaylarının model kurma ile ilgili farkındalıklarının artırılması öneri olarak sunulmuştur.

Principal Leadership for School-Wide Transformation of Elementary Mathematics Teaching: Why the Principal’s Conception of Teacher Learning Matters

Supporting teacher learning for normative change in classroom learning environments creates significant demands on principal leadership. We offer an analytic framework that aims to understand principal practice for instructional transformation. The framework examines how the principal’s conception of teacher learning shapes practice in relation to particular contexts and support systems. We illustrate the explanatory power of this framework by using it to make sense of one elementary principal’s practice in leading her school for instructional transformation in mathematics. Our analysis contributes to how leadership efforts to transform instruction might be studied and ultimately supported.

Intervention Strategies Utilized by Elementary Mathematics Teachers and Their Perceived Effectiveness in Enhancing Learners' Performance

Intervention Strategies Utilized by Elementary Mathematics Teachers and Their Perceived Effectiveness in Enhancing Learners' Performance

Examining the Relationship between Co-teaching and Special Education Teachers’ Self-efficacy for Teaching Elementary Mathematics

This study examined the relationship between co-teaching and elementary special education teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching mathematics. A combined Co-Teacher Relationship Scale and Self-Efficacy for Teaching Mathematics Instrument was administered to 103 elementary special education teachers from Superintendent’s Regions 2 and 3 in the Commonwealth of Virginia who co-taught mathematics for at least one class period per day yielding a 54% response rate (N = 56). Employing a Spearman’s Rho, analysis revealed moderate, positive, statistically significant correlations between the co-teaching relationship and self-efficacy for teaching mathematics (rs = 0.41, p = 0.002) and between the grade level co-taught and self-efficacy (rs = 0.43, p = 001). There was also a small, positive correlation between the number of years a special education teacher co-taught mathematics and self-efficacy for teaching mathematics (rs = 0.20); however, that relationship was not statistically significant (p = 0.14). A one-way ANOVA revealed that special education teachers who co-taught Grade 5 had the highest self-efficacy score (M = 92.85, SD = 13.39) compared to those who co-taught Grade 2 (M = 83.38, SD = 13.49), Grade 3 (M = 81.00, SD = 12.49), Grade 4 (M = 80.90, SD = 15.61), Grade 1 (M = 74.33, SD =11.74), Kindergarten (M = 73.25, SD = 13.15), and pre-Kindergarten (M = 68.33, SD = 22.23). The implications include providing co-teachers with time to develop collaborative relationships prior to co-teaching, increasing training and implementing effective scheduling and planning practices for co-teaching teams, and increasing job-embedded mathematics training for special education teachers.

Equity in STEM through culturally responsive pedagogy

I teach elementary mathematics to 98% of Black and Latino students, many of whom come from underprivileged areas of Memphis, Tennessee, where academic achievement varies. At the beginning of the year, many of my students have a love–hate relationship with mathematics, where their understanding of the subject is simply rules or procedures to memorize for an end-of-year assessment. As a result, I’m often left wondering why this happens and how we, as a community, could work to provide equitable outcomes for all students in not just math, but science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Developing an AI-based chatbot for practicing responsive teaching in mathematics

Responsive teaching promotes students' mathematical reasoning and positive attitudes toward mathematics. Due to the complexity of the work of teaching, preservice teachers (PSTs) have been provided with approximated opportunities to practice responsive teaching skills in teacher education programs. Although increasing demand for adaptive learning reinforces the need for research on artificial intelligence (AI) in education, there have been few approaches that engaged learners in meaningful interactions. Our goal was to develop an AI-based chatbot that engaged PSTs in an authentic, meaningful, and open-ended teaching situation to enhance PSTs' responsive teaching skills, specifically questioning skills through approximations of practice. The chatbot was designed to act as a virtual student who displayed misconceptions on the topic of fractions. By employing design-based research, we examined 1) design features and structure of the chatbot, 2) coverage of users' input, 3) PSTs' questioning patterns, and 4) users' experiences. Two iterations of design, implementation and evaluation took place in an elementary mathematics education methods course. To build the chatbot we qualitatively analyzed the training data, categorized them into the smallest meaningful intents of users, and prepared corresponding responses to each intent. At the final iteration, the refined chatbot adequately covered PSTs’ questions and provided realistic responses. We found a pattern of PSTs asking similar questions repeatedly in the conversation data. Through multiple iterations, certain design features could lead to improved questioning patterns and user perceptions, including sequential responses, informing responses, and personification. Implications, design features, and limitations are discussed.

The Concept of Linear Inequalities in One Variable (A Study in Afadzato South District, Ghana)

The study examined junior high students' awareness of linear disparities in Ghana's Afadzato South District. The study examined male and female students' linear inequalities in learning outcomes in the 'Have' Circuit of Afadzato South District. The study challenge sparked three questions. Using a questionnaire, interview guide, and the Algebra Diagnostic Test, researchers collected quantitative and qualitative data. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics and t-tests. According to the report, 125 (40.3%) students passed the algebra diagnostic test after studying linear inequalities. 146 (47.1%) said linear inequalities helped them understand word problems. p 0.05, mean deviation = 1.516; standard error difference = 1.606. The test enhanced boys' and girls' performance. According to the report, stakeholders should support and motivate students to improve their math study habits. Every arithmetic topic is tied to a higher notion, so kids tend to view math as easy. Headmasters, headmistresses, District and Municipal Chief Executives of Education, and the Ministry of Education should provide teaching and learning materials to stimulate students' interest in math. Math clinics, workshops, and in-service training should be offered often for elementary math teachers to improve their skills. Effective monitoring and encouragement of elementary mathematics teachers can assist pupils to develop an interest in linear inequalities, allowing them to pursue higher studies. Keywords : Concept Linear Inequalities, One Variable, mathematics, students DOI: 10.7176/MTM/12-2-02 Publication date: September 30 th 2022

Investigation of Achievement Tests Prepared by Elementary Mathematics Teachers and Preservice Teachers

"The only purpose of assessment and evaluation activities should not be to grade students. On the contrary, it should determine the needs, misconceptions and readiness of students with assessment and evaluation activities and selection and placement processes are also carried out. For this reason, the qualifications of the assessment tools used, must be appropriate and sufficient. Although large scale tests give more importance to these qualities, these qualities may sometimes be ignored in teacher-made tests. Based on this point, within the scope of this study, the assessment tools prepared by mathematics teachers and preservice elementary mathematics teachers studying with them were examined in terms of some features. The study was carried out with five mathematics teachers working in five different public elementary schools in a mediumsized city in the Central Anatolia region and five preservice elementary mathematics teachers studying with these teachers. In this context, teachers and preservice teachers were asked to prepare an achievement test and to grade student answers for the mathematics classes they conduct together. In the method of the study carried out, the survey model was used, and qualitative and quantitative data were collected as it was investigated whether there was a difference and relationship between the scores of the students, in addition to the characteristics of the test items prepared. The findings are presented separately for each research question."

The Effect of Error-Based Activities on the Reflective Thinking Skills of Pre-service Elementary Education Mathematics Teachers

"The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effect of error-based activities on the reflective thinking processes of pre-service elementary education mathematics teachers. To this end, qualitative research method was employed. The current study was carried out with the participation of six pre-service elementary education mathematics teachers attending a university in Turkey in the spring term of the 2017-2018 academic year. In order to collect the data in the study, the participating pre-service teachers were asked to write diaries and face-to-face interviews were conducted with them. The collected data were analyzed by coding them on the basis of the pre-service teachers’ responses to the questions asked to them in line with the pre-determined conceptual framework. The obtained data have revealed that the error-based activities had positive effects on the pre-service teachers’ thinking processes. In addition to this, the pre-service teachers’ reflective thinking processes positively changed over the week"