Elementary Mathematics Teachers Research Articles

An Analysis of Mathematics Education Students’ Skills in the Process of Programming and Their Practices of Integrating It into Their Teaching

Recent developments in technology have changed the learner’s profile and the learning outcomes. Today, with the emergence of higher-order thinking skills and computer literacy skills, teaching through traditional methods is likely to fail to achieve the learning outcomes. That is why; teachers and teacher candidates are expected to have computer literacy skills. Programming is the main focus of this study since it is an important part of computer literacy. The study aims to analyze mathematics education students’ skills in the process of programming and their practices of integrating it into their teaching. The participants of the study are 42 third grade students of an Elementary Mathematics Education Program of a state university in Turkey. Within the study in which theory and practice was carried out simultaneously, the participants were taught the basics of programming and the algorithms with C programming language. The teacher candidates put the theoretical knowledge into practice using the visual programming application by MIT App Inventor at the computer laboratory. In addition, they used the MIT App Inventor visual programming environment to develop programs they will use in teaching mathematics in groups. Given the component of teaching of programming during this process, it is considered that the process of teaching in question will be effective in planning the teaching process of future studies. The reason is that not only it analyses the development of the variables used in this study but also because it takes into consideration the opinions of teacher candidates.

Beginning Elementary Mathematics Teachers Negotiating Leadership Responsibilities

Induction has been given much attention in recent years. Research indicates that a comprehensive program with multiple supports for new teachers including reasonable teaching loads and complete curriculum resources are most effective. However, this is not the reality for many beginning teachers. In a study of a two-year, university-based, mathematics-specific induction program for elementary teachers, we found many first-year teachers were given teacher leadership responsibilities at their schools. These leadership experiences were confounded by school contexts in which curriculum resources were incomplete or competed with the BTs visions of “good” mathematics teaching. Qualitative data included interviews, surveys, written reflections, and researcher field notes from the first year of study. This article reports three first-year teachers’ experiences of significant leadership responsibilities. Findings call for ways to prepare BTs in undergraduate and induction programs for the non-instructional duties in teaching and to develop the agency needed to negotiate school-based contextual constraints.

The PISA Tasks: Unveiling Prospective Elementary Mathematics Teachers’ Difficulties with Contextual, Conceptual, and Procedural Knowledge

ABSTRACTThe aim of this mixed methods study was to investigate the difficulties prospective elementary mathematics teachers have in solving the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 released items. A mathematics test consisting of 26 PISA items was administered, followed by interviews. Multiple data were utilized to provide rich insights into the types of mathematical knowledge that a particular item requires and prospective teachers’ difficulties in using these knowledge types. A sample of 52 prospective teachers worked the mathematics test, and 12 of them were interviewed afterwards. The data-sets were complementary: the quantitative data showed that PISA items could be categorized under contextual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge and indicated the most frequent difficulties in the combined contextual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge items. The qualitative data revealed that few prospective teachers could give mathematical explanations for conceptual knowledge items, and that their contextual knowledge was fragmented. Educational implications were discussed.

Investigating Alignment Between Elementary Mathematics Teacher Education and Graduates' Teaching of Mathematics for Conceptual Understanding

In this article, Amanda Jansen, Dawn Berk, and Erin Meikle investigate the impact of mathematics teacher education on teaching practices. In their study they interviewed six first-year teachers who graduated from the same elementary teacher education program and who were oriented toward teaching mathematics conceptually. They observed each teacher teaching two lessons: one on a mathematics topic that was developed in their teacher education program (target topic) and one on a mathematics topic that was not addressed in their program (control topic). Based on their observations, the authors identified four instructional practices for teaching mathematics conceptually that the participants used in their classroom practice and found that these teachers were more likely to enact two of these instructional practices when teaching target topics: use of mathematical language to support students' sense making and use of visual representations. They also found that the teachers enacted two other instructional practices—use of story problems and pressing students for mathematical explanations—in both target and control topic lessons but did so with limitations in control topic lessons. For teacher education to influence teaching, the authors assert, it is important to develop content knowledge for teaching and pedagogical knowledge in tandem with developing beliefs.

Teacher Candidates’ Gender Role Attitudes: Case of Adıyaman University

The aim of this study is to determine gender role attitudes of fourth-grade students using descriptive and cross-sectional analysis by applying a questionnaire and Gender Roles Attitude Scale developed by Zeyneloglu and Terzioglu. Participants used in the study are made up of 187 fourthgrade students at the Department of Elementary Education (namely Primary School Teacher Education, Elementary Mathematics Teacher Education, Social Sciences Teacher Education, and Science Teacher Education). The results reveal the egalitarian attitudes among students for the sub-dimensions named egalitarian gender role (mean score: 29.05), female gender role (mean score: 24.37), marriage gender role (mean score: 19.67), traditional gender role (mean score: 23.41) and male gender role (mean score 17.24). Average and median Gender Roles Attitude Scale scores of respondent students were found to differ according to the type of department, the high school that they graduated from, and the person effective in choosing the department of students.

The Investigation of Pre-service Elementary Mathematics Teachers’ Subject Matter Knowledge About Probability

Because of the change in the middle school mathematics curriculum in Turkey, it is necessary to examine subject matter knowledge of pre-service elementary mathematics teachers about probability. This study is significant in terms of the Turkish mathematics education literature since it contributes to the future curriculum efforts for elementary mathematics education programs. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews which were focused on explanations about basic probability concepts and an instrument which was developed for evaluating content knowledge for probability of elementary mathematics teachers. Since mathematics teachers should have both procedural and conceptual knowledge regarding the concept taught, researcher aimed to understand to what extent pre-service elementary mathematics teachers are capable of conceptual and procedural knowledge needed for probability teaching. Findings showed that the 23 participants needed to develop their conceptual knowledge regarding probability and they tended to behave computational oriented while solving probability problems which showed also their higher procedural understanding. Besides, it was concluded that they couldn’t make expected connections between probability and statistics concepts.

Theoretical-methodological foundation of technology advanced elementary mathematics education

The aim of the study is to examine the theoretical and methodological basis of informatization of elementary mathematics education. Objectives of the study is the analysis of perspective directions of development of modern primary education, in particular, information elementary mathematics education, updating of didactic possibilities of information and communication technologies as a tools of teaching mathematics in the modern elementary school. The object of research is elementary mathematics education. The subject of research is theoretical-methodological foundation of technology advanced elementary mathematics education. The work is devoted to the problem of modernization of the existing system of elementary mathematics education. During the study established that the education іnformatization is a process of progressive socio-economic changes caused by the demands of modernity. Informatization of primary education is one of the areas of the public policy of informatization of education in Ukraine and provides, in particular, possession by students at a sufficient level of ability to be critical of information, process it, use the information for an adequate solution to the problems of everyday life. Mastering the techniques of mental activity of younger students with such characteristics is advantageously carried out in the teaching of mathematics in the mode of non-standard motivational approach – the use of ICT. Refined didactic potential of ICT for the teaching of mathematics in the modern elementary school. Results of the study is planned to summarize for recommendations on the training of future elementary school teachers to use ICT as a means of teaching mathematics.

The effects of gamification-based teaching practices on student achievement and students' attitudes toward lessons

Gamification is defined as the use of game design in non-game contents. Gamification of educational processes can be described as the successful integration of the gamification framework into the curriculum in order to improve students' motivation, academic achievement, and attitudes toward lessons. In this regard, the present study aims to determine the effects of gamification-based teaching practices on student achievement and their attitudes toward lesson. Investigating the effects of gamification on instructional processes and educational outcomes is expected to contribute to the relevant literature as it is a relatively new mechanism. The study is designed with quantitative research methodology and a true experimental design using pretest–posttest experimental and control groups. The study's participants included 97 sophomores from the Department of Elementary Mathematics Education of a state university in southern Turkey in 2014–2015. The experimental group comprised 49 students compared to 48 students in the control group. According to the research results, gamification-based teaching practices have a positive impact upon student achievement and students' attitudes toward lessons.

초등수학교육 연구동향: 최근 7년간 게재된 국내 학술지 논문을 중심으로

본 연구는 초등수학교육 관련 연구들의 동향을 분석하기 위해 8개 학술지에 게재된 논문 중 초등수학교육 관련 연구 596편을 대상으로 연구주제, 연구방법, 연구대상, 수학내용영역, 교과역량별 동향을 분석하였다. 연구주제 측면에서 학습자의 인지적 정의적 특성 및 능력, 교육과정 및 교과서 분석, 수업 및 지도방안과 관련한 연구가 비중 있게 다뤄졌고, 평가, 교육공학 및 교구 관련 연구는 그 수가 매우 적었다. 연구방법 측면에서는 질적연구의 비중이 높았고 연구대상 측면에서는 학생에 대한 연구가 많았다. 수학내용영역 측면에서는 수와 연산 관련 연구가 월등히 많았고 교과역량 측면에서는 비교적 고르게 나타났으나 문제 해결과 관련된 연구가 많이 행해졌다. 이러한 연구 결과를 바탕으로 보다 활성화될 필요가 있는 연구 분야 및 후속 연구에 대한 시사점을 제공하고자 하였다. The purpose of this study was to analyze the research trends of elementary mathematics education in terms of topics, methods, subjects, mathematics content strands, and mathematical competencies. For this purpose, a total of 596 papers published in eight domestic journals during the recent seven years were analyzed. The results of this study showed that the popular research topics included learners' perspectives and abilities, analysis of curriculum and textbooks, and instruction and teaching methods, whereas studies on assessment and technology or manipulative materials did not get much attention. The results also showed that qualitative research methodology was used a lot with focus on students. The mathematics content strand which was most frequently studied was number and operations, and problem solving was most popular among the mathematical competencies. On the basis of these results, this paper includes several implications for the future research direction in elementary mathematics education.

Matematik Öğretmen Adaylarının FATİH Projesi ve Matematik Eğitiminde Teknoloji Kullanımına Yönelik Görüşleri

FATİH Project is one of the most extensive movements on the way of integrating technology into schools. One crucial factor for FATİH Project to be successful is teachers who are the first degree practitioners of the Project. At this point, pre-service teachers who are the near future’s teachers need to know the requirements of the Project. Therefore, the necessity of providing trainings intending FATİH Project during undergraduate education is heated-debate to discuss. Another point under discussion is to provide domain specific (mathematics domain in this study) training for teachers. With this respect, the purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service mathematics teachers’ opinions about technology use and FATİH Project before and after given preparatory training towards it. The participants of this study with qualitative paradigm were composed of 15 pre-service elementary school mathematics teachers who were enrolled in the fourth grade in a public university. FATİH Project preparatory training was prepared according to the in-service training provided by Ministry of National Education for teachers and was designed in line with mathematics lessons specifically. This training lasted 10 weeks with practical applications. An open-ended opinion questionnaire was subjected to pre-service teachers before and after the training. In addition, each participant was interviewed. The findings gathered before and after training were compared. According to the results of the study, it was observed that the definitions of pre-service teachers for FATİH Project were deepened and they used concepts specific to mathematics lesson. In addition, they reported opinions about the positive, negative aspects of and applicability for the Project. Lastly, it was observed that pre-service teachers’ awareness towards technologies such as software, hardware and educational portals that were used specifically to mathematics increased in mathematics lessons.

Enhancing Established Counting Routines to Promote Place-Value Understanding: An Empirical Study in Early Elementary Classrooms

Understanding place value is a critical and foundational competency for elementary mathematics. Classroom teachers who endeavor to promote place-value development adopt a variety of established practices to varying degrees of effectiveness. In parallel, researchers have validated models of how young children acquire place-value understanding. Faced with competing demands, teachers may resist abrupt, disruptive, or time-intensive changes to existing practices. In this study, we explore ways of introducing changes in pedagogical supports that minimally disrupt existing classroom routines that nonetheless offer potential gains in children’s understanding of base-ten number concepts. Specifically, we examine the impact of modifying how teachers demonstrate and discuss representations of the ten-for-one structure during the familiar “Days in School” counting routine on young children’s place-value understanding. We report on a 2-year longitudinal study of a cohort of students beginning in grade one, conducted in nine classrooms across a control school and a treatment school. We describe the modifications in the counting routine and report the results of children’s development of base-ten number concepts. The percentage of children who identified base-ten number concepts was three times higher for the children in the treatment group than for the children in the control group. Moreover, nearly twice as many children in the treatment group as compared with the control group advanced beyond a concatenated single-digit conception by the end of second grade when counting two-digit quantities. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for early elementary mathematics education more generally.

Analysis on Occupational Self-Efficacy of Elementary Mathematics and Science Teachers

In this study, the purpose is to analyze the self-efficacy beliefs of the elementary mathematics and science teachers according to a group of variables. For this purpose, “Teacher Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale” developed by Kahyaoglu and Yangin (2007) and personal information form that is composed by the researcher are used as the data collection tool to measure the self-efficacy of teachers. The study is conducted in the spring semester of the 2016-2017 school year. The sample of the study consists of a total of 91 teachers, of which 44 are Elementary Mathematics Teacher and 47 are Science Teacher serving in public schools in Bitlis’s Tatvan district. For the analysis of the collected data, the unpaired t-test and ANOVA were applied. According to the results of the analysis, it is found that occupational self-efficacy levels of prospective teachers are on “Very Efficient” level. In addition, it is determined that there are no statistically significant differences in mean scores of teachers’ occupational self-efficacy beliefs in terms of gender, education type, and the graduated department but in terms of the types of high schools which they graduated from. Only this variable shows a statistically significant difference.

Teachers’ Diagnostic Competences and Levels Pertaining to Students’ Mathematical Thinking: The Case of Three Math Teachers in Turkey

The main purpose of this research is to determine mathematics teachers’ diagnostic competency levels. Diagnostic competence, which is described as the ability to understand and analyze student thinking, has been examined in four levels through the components of teachers’ general knowledge on learning processes and their skills at considering, scrutinizing, and interpreting student thinking. The research model is based on a case study, and the participants consist of three elementary mathematics teachers. Teachers’ lessons were observed for 17 weeks, and data has been collected through (a) observation notes, (b) video recordings, (c) written documents, and (d) interviews with teachers. According to the findings, the teachers have Level-2 diagnostic competences due to their limited general knowledge on learning processes and scrutiny skills. Additional findings are as follows: (a) While teachers have been defined as having Level-2 diagnostic competences in the classroom, lower and higher levels seem able to emerge in environments that used prompts. (b) The limitations of teachers’ general knowledge on learning processes can also weaken other diagnostic competency skills. (c) Teachers care more about students’ errors and mistakes when diagnosing and do not feel the need to diagnose ideas that provide correct results.

Problems Posed by Prospective Elementary Mathematics Teachers in the Concept of Functions: An Analysis Based on SOLO Taxonomy

Abstract: The aim of this study is to carry out an analysis according to SOLO-taxonomy about problem posing knowledge of prospective elementary mathematics teachers on mathematical functions. The methodology adopted in the current study was a case study. The participants of the study consisted of 67 prospective elementary mathematics teachers. According to the findings of the study, the knowledge of the prospective elementary mathematics teachers on functions in mathematics is open to development through proper teaching methods. Moreover, the majority of their knowledge levels have been grouped as pre-structural level, multi-structural level and relational level while only a few of their knowledge levels were at extended abstract level. Based on the results, it might be beneficiary to train prospective mathematics teachers who can creatively use problem posing activities in their classrooms and who will become a model for their students with their problem-posing performances to overcome their conceptual deficiencies concerned with functions. Keywords: Mathematical knowledge, problem posing, prospective mathematics teachers, SOLO taxonomy

JUSTIFICATION FOR THE SUBJECT OF CONGRUENCE AND SIMILARITY IN THE CONTEXT OF DAILY LIFE AND CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE

This study aims to examine prospective elementary mathematics teachers' conceptual knowledge level for congruence and similarity in triangles subject and to examine their ability to represent the knowledge, to associate the knowledge with daily life, and to justify and solve the geometry problems about this subject. The study is designed in a characteristic pattern. Total of 46 prospective elementary mathematics teachers were selected using purposive sampling method. The instruments used to collect data in this study are: GJP (Geometry Justification Problems), GCKQ (Geometry Conceptual Knowledge Questions) and GQDLE (Geometry Questions of Daily Life Examples). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics method. The results of the study show that 1) the prospective teachers are successful in geometry conceptual knowledge questions but had difficulty in the justification problems; 2) there is a relationship between the theoretical knowledge levels and the argument standards of the prospective teachers; 3) the prospective teachers had difficulty in the daily life examples of congruence and similarity in triangles subject. Keywords : Congruence and Similarity, Justification, Conceptual Knowledge, Daily Life Association

JUSTIFICATION FOR THE SUBJECT OF CONGRUENCE AND SIMILARITY IN THE CONTEXT OF DAILY LIFE AND CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE

This study aims to examine prospective elementary mathematics teachers' conceptual knowledge level for congruence and similarity in triangles subject and to examine their ability to represent the knowledge, to associate the knowledge with daily life, and to justify and solve the geometry problems about this subject. The study is designed in a characteristic pattern. Total of 46 prospective elementary mathematics teachers were selected using purposive sampling method. The instruments used to collect data in this study are: GJP (Geometry Justification Problems), GCKQ (Geometry Conceptual Knowledge Questions) and GQDLE (Geometry Questions of Daily Life Examples). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics method. The results of the study show that 1) the prospective teachers are successful in geometry conceptual knowledge questions but had difficulty in the justification problems; 2) there is a relationship between the theoretical knowledge levels and the argument standards of the prospective teachers; 3) the prospective teachers had difficulty in the daily life examples of congruence and similarity in triangles subject. Keywords : Congruence and Similarity, Justification, Conceptual Knowledge, Daily Life Association

Mathematics coaching and instructional reform: Individual and collective change

Mathematics coaching initiatives are being implemented in schools and districts across the country, guided by the notion that these initiatives will foster individual teacher’s learning and thereby support system-wide instructional improvement in mathematics. This paper explores the evolving roles that mathematics coaches played in a system-wide instructional improvement effort focused on elementary mathematics education in a medium-sized suburban school district. Using social network analysis and qualitative analysis of interviews, we argue that coaches facilitated teachers’ implementation of a new mathematics curriculum by acting as brokers, first as intermediaries between the district office and schools, then as catalysts for collective inquiry. Further, we show how coaches’ work was both enabled and constrained over time by various organizational dimensions at the school and district levels. Overall, our findings suggest that district and school leaders should think beyond the roles and responsibilities of individual coaches, and consider how to support coaches as participants in system-wide networks focused on continuous learning and instructional improvement.

Effects of Teaching Activities via Google Sketchup and Concrete Models on Spatial Skills of Preservice Mathematics Teachers

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of teaching activities supported by Google SketchUp, which is a 3–Dimensional modeling software, and concrete models on the basic skills related to spatial ability in teaching geometric solids. The study sample consisted of 72 preservice teachers who were studying elementary mathematics education in 2009-2010 academic–year in a state-funded university in Central Anatolia, Turkey. This was an experimental study. The study used a pretest posttest control group design and included two experimental groups and a control group. One of the experimental groups was taught using Google SketchUp while the other one was taught with concrete model-aided teaching activities. The activities, designed for the control group, were carried out with some traditional teaching tools such as paper, pencil and classroom writing board. The Santa Barbara Solids Test (SBST) and the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT) were used to measure spatial ability. The SBST measures the ability to mentally visualize the cross-sections of 3D objects. The PSVT consists of three parts: “Developments”, which measures skills to visualize a 3D object based on its surface development; “Rotations”, which measures skills to mentally rotate 3D objects; and “Views”, which measures skills to visualize different views of 3D objects. The study identified significant increases in the scores received for all of the tests by the group using Google SketchUp, in the scores received for the SBST and Developments part by the group using concrete models, and in the scores received for only the Developments part by the control group. Also, the posttest average score received for the “Views” part by the experimental group using Google SketchUp was significantly higher than the score of the experimental group using concrete models and the control group.

Common Core confusion about modeling

Share news about happenings in the field of elementary school mathematics education, views on matters pertaining to teaching and learning mathematics in the early childhood or elementary school years, and reactions to previously published opinion pieces or articles. Find detailed department submission guidelines at http://www.nctm.org/WriteForTCM.

The Connection Competencies of Pre-service Mathematics Teachers about Geometric Concepts to Daily-life

However, geometry is the area with the most concrete possibility of mathematical topics which contains more abstract concepts, students experience difficulties while understanding. Therefore, the connection of issues with daily life to concrete the subjects and the ability of connecting geometric concepts with daily life of the teachers and pre-service teachers who will teach these subjects become more important. In this study, the geometric concepts of pre-service mathematics teachers along with their ability of connection with daily life will be examined. 79 senior students studying at the Department of Elementary Mathematics Teaching at the Faculty of Education were asked to give examples from daily life of 21 geometric concepts in the Middle School Mathematics Curriculum. The received responses were analyzed with descriptive content analysis. Upon the examination of the answers given, it was observed that students mostly gave examples of what they had learned since primary school and of terms they used in the lessons frequently.