Brief Summary of Research Topic & Methods
The National Education Survey that was conducted between 1999 and 2000 in the United States found out that about 25% of high school teachers and 66% of middle school educators did not have a certification in mathematics. As a result, many students in elementary schools are taught by teachers who do not have adequate knowledge and skills in mathematics (Hart, Smith, Smith, & Swars, 2007). Mathematical knowledge, a good understanding of the subject, and relevant skills are very important to society for it to prosper in the fields of technology, finance, and education (Eggen & Kauchak, 2007).
Many researchers, in the past few years, have tried to dig into the relationship between mathematical self-efficacy beliefs, and practices of pre-service elementary teachers. Studies have also been conducted to ascertain the effects that these beliefs have on students’ learning behavior (Guskey & Passaro, 1994; Eggen & Kauchak, 2007; Wilkins, 2008). The findings of these studies show that there is a strong relationship between mathematical self-efficacy beliefs and elementary teaching practices. It is palpable that these mindsets affect the basic schooling procedures and the conduct of the instructors. To develop and improve effective pre-service elementary teachers, their self-efficacy must be enhanced since it directly influences their effectiveness (Tschennen-Moran & Hoy, 2001; Eggen & Kauchak, 2007).
Educators are the only parties who can assist in enhancing the self-efficacy of pre-service elementary teachers by motivating them to develop an adequate interest in mathematics. The educators can easily and effectively help the elementary teachers to develop a good understanding of mathematics and gain sufficient interest in the subject (Guskey & Passaro, 1994; Wilkins, 2008). This project seeks to examine mathematical self-efficacy beliefs and develop ways through which the effectiveness of elementary school teachers can be enhanced. The learning goals in the project will be developed in such a way that they motivate the teachers to develop an interest in mathematics and join teaching careers that relate to the subject.
Since only a few studies have been conducted to look into the relationship between mathematical self-efficacy beliefs and pre-service elementary teachers, the findings of this project will be of great help to the Department of Education. The findings will help the officials in this department to develop programs that will motivate pre-service elementary teachers to view mathematics in a positive way. The findings will assist the educators of elementary school teachers to train their students on how to develop positive self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics; this will enhance their understanding and skills in the subject.
Teachers’ beliefs and educational research will be used as the theoretical framework to guide this study (Pajares, 1992). The study will examine how mathematical self-efficacy beliefs affect the interest that pre-service elementary school teachers have in mathematics by assessing the beliefs that they uphold. The study will also assess the current strategies that have been developed to help solve the issue. Lastly, the study will suggest the most effective ways that can be used to deal with the issue. The main participants in the interview, which will be conducted in this study, will be pre-service elementary teachers and their educators. The study is going to be both qualitative and quantitative. The data will be obtained through questionnaires, which will be administered to the participants, and it will take around 25 days.
References
Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2007). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Guskey, T. R., & Passaro, P. D. (1994). Teacher efficacy: A study of construct dimensions. American Educational research Journal, 31(3), 627-643.
Hart, L. C., Smith, M. E., Smith, S. Z., & Swars, S. L. (2007). A longitudinal study of elementary pre-service teachers’ mathematics pedagogical and teacher efficacy beliefs. School Science and Mathematics, 107(8), 325-335.
Pajares, F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(1), 307-332.
Tschennen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(2), 783-805.
Wilkins, J. L. M. (2008). The relationship among elementary teachers’ content knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Journal of Math Teacher Education, 11(1), 139-164.