Exploring the influence of teaching mathematics in early childhood course on preservice early childhood teachers' images and emotions of mathematics, mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety

---

Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Eğitim Fakültesi, Matematik ve Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2016

Öğrenci: DENİZ MEHMETLİOĞLU DEMİRKIRAN

Danışman: ÇİĞDEM HASER

Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu

Özet:

The aim of this study was to describe 47 preservice early childhood education teachers’ mathematics anxiety (MA) and mathematics teaching anxiety (MTA) before taking Teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood (TMEC) course and after completing it through asking their mathematics related images, emotions, mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety, and their sources throughout the course. Moreover, the relationship between the prior mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety of preservice teachers were explored. Three questionnaires, field reflection reports, drawing activities were used as data collection tools. In addition, interviews were conducted with 20 preservice teachers to get in-depth information regarding their MA, MTA, and specific key course experiences. Compared to beginning of the course, some changes in participants regarding images, emotions, and levels of MA and MTA were seen at the end of the course. Images including advance formulas and abstract concepts in the beginning of the semester were switched to early years mathematics concepts and many negative emotions were replaced with the positive emotions related to mathematics at the end of the course. The sources of MA were generally related to perceived teacher characteristics, family and previous courses. These sources probably did not change, but preservice teachers developed new images and emotions regarding the mathematics they will teach. At the end of the course, participants referred to the contribution of TMEC course on their MTA in a positive way. Moreover, some candidates showed shifting in MTA and emphasized the importance of TMEC course and its contribution to diminishing their MTA.