The Influence of a Mathematics Teaching Preparation Program on Preservice Teachers’ Personal Teaching Self-Efficacy

• In Event: Supporting Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs and Self-Efficacy in Mathematics

Abstract

A two year study was conducted to determine the influence that a two course sequence mathematics teacher training program had on the math teaching self-efficacy of pre-service teachers. The subjects were freshman and sophomore pre-service education majors in Elementary (n=220), Early Childhood (n=95), Special Education (n=61) or Deaf and Hard of Hearing (n=45) at a public liberal arts college on the East Coast. The Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument was used to determine the pre-service teachers’ beliefs in their ability to teach math. Results revealed pre-service teachers entered this program with comparable levels of math teaching self-efficacy however these two courses did increase the math teaching self-efficacy and certain sub-populations of this group appeared to benefit more from the sequence.

Authors

• Suriza Van Der Sandt, The College of New Jersey

• Elizabeth Dianne Johnson, George Mason University