Shifting pre-service teachers' views of teaching secondary mathematics

Gregory Hine
University of Notre Dame Australia
Sandra Herbert
Deakin University, Australia

Teacher education programs are pivotal in the professional preparation and formation of pre-service secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs), but there appears to be a lack of understanding of how best to prepare PSMTs for the profession. The purpose of this study was to examine and monitor changes over time in PSMTs' views about approaches to teaching mathematics in secondary schools, before and after undertaking mathematics teaching methods courses (including practicum teaching). These views included their perceived readiness to teach secondary mathematics, as well as an indication of their likelihood to use particular teaching approaches for mathematics. PSMTs at two Australian universities were surveyed before and after they undertook their respective teaching methods courses, and interviewed upon course completion. Overall, survey data did not indicate a significant change in PSMTs' views of readiness to teach mathematics from either university (N = 61 pre-survey, N = 34 post-survey). An analysis of interview data revealed that PSMTs were not ready to teach secondary mathematics, with their emphasis focused on their mathematical content knowledge and mathematical pedagogical knowledge as areas of requiring improvement. Nearly half of the interviewees reported feeling confident to teach mathematics to lower secondary classes (Years 7-10). Despite these concessions, all interviewed PSMTs outlined at least one area where they had experienced professional growth since commencing a teacher education degree.
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Authors: Dr Gregory Hine is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Notre Dame Australia. His teaching and scholarly interests lie in the preparation of secondary mathematics teachers. Greg was lead author for Teaching Secondary Mathematics, which in 2021 was published as a second edition. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4589-3159 Email: gregory.hine@nd.edu.au Dr Sandra Herbert is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the Warrnambool Campus, Deakin University, Australia. She has a strong research track record with grants and publications with involvement in a range of research projects, demonstrating a reputation as a reliable researcher making substantial contributions on joint projects. The main focus of Sandra's research is the improvement of teaching and learning mathematics in schools. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5990-5099 Email: sandra.herbert@deakin.edu.au; portfairyhome@gmail.com Please cite as: Hine, G. & Herbert, S. (2022). Shifting pre-service teachers' views of teaching secondary mathematics. Issues in Educational Research, 32(2), 533-554. http://www.iier.org.au/iier32/hine.pdf