Attitudes of Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers towards Modelling: A South African Inquiry

Abstract

This study explores the attitudes of mathematics pre-service teachers, based on their initial exposure to a model-eliciting challenge. The new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement determines that mathematics students should be able to identify, investigate and solve problems via modelling. The unpreparedness of mathematics teachers in teaching modelling is widely recognized. Modelling was thus included for the first time in the mathematics education curriculum of a South African university. Based on their modelling exposure, the participants revealed their attitudes via an Attitudes towards Mathematics Modelling Inventory. The Mann Whitney U-test detected significant differences between gender and achievement groups. Most participants displayed positive attitudes towards modelling, even after this brief exposure. The main implications of the study are that the modelling competencies of mathematics pre-service-teachers could be strengthened during their formal education by lecturers that adopt an appropriate modelling pedagogy that takes cognizance of their attitudes, while gradually building their confidence

Model-Eliciting Activities Approach as a Tool to Improve Creative Thinking Skills and Self-Confidence

“…The results obtained by Jacobs & Durandt [19] that the implication of the application of MEAs learning taught by lecturers to the development of the competence of prospective teachers (read: students) can build teachers' self-confidence gradually. Papageorgiou [20] also argued that the mathematical modeling learning (MEAs) can improve students 'self-confidence and students' attitudes toward the learning of mathematics itself.…”

Fostering mathematical modelling competency of South African engineering students: which influence does the teaching design have?

“…This is a limitation of the study and could be investigated in a follow-up study. These encouraging results may have consequences for engineering education as well as for teacher education in South Africa (see Durandt & Lautenbach, 2020;Jacobs & Durandt, 2017). In the future, more such studies are needed which repeat certain elements of existing studies and change others in order to better understand which influence certain variables have and to what extent empirical results may be generalised beyond the specific circumstances (compare Niss & Blum, 2020, chapter 8).…”

“…The individual dimensions of attitude that we use in our study were developed based on research findings on attitudes towards mathematics or mathematical modelling, taking into account the specific challenges of mastering mathematical modelling. These dimensions are as follows: (i) the estimated difficulty of mathematical modelling activities (for previous findings, see Jacobs & Durandt, 2017), (ii) the subjective value (including usefulness and relevance in personal and professional life) of modelling (for related findings see Krawitz & Schukajlow, 2018; see also the study of Hernandez-Martinez & Vos, 2018, with engineering students), (iii) the level of personal interest in studying modelling (see Rellensmann & Schukajlow, 2017), (iv) the effort which the student is willing to invest in learning modelling (which in our view is also related to motivation, see Jacobs & Durandt, 2017), (v) the level of cognitive competence or self-concept of intellectual skills and abilities to study modelling (see related research from Sonnert et al, 2020), and (vi) the emotional disposition-what we call affect-towards modelling (see Di Martino, 2019).…”

Teaching Mathematical Subjects to Students with Musculoskeletal Disabilities: Public and Peer Discussions

“…al., 2015;Abdullah et. al., 2017;Jacobs and Durandt, 2017;Schnell and Prediger, 2017). A number of scholars view computers as a special educational tool that in addition with special software can be effectively used in organizing education for people with disabilities (Anderson et.…”