Constructing Futures: How Emerging Educators See Math and Literacy Working Together

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: Division K - Section 01: Teaching and Teacher Education in the Content Areas Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

This study explores how preservice teachers (PSTs) perceive their self-efficacy teaching mathematics, literacy (LRA), curricular integration (CI), and literacy-mathematics curricular integration (LMCI). Despite curricular policies advocating for interdisciplinary teaching, teacher education (TE) programs often silo subject areas, leaving PSTs underprepared to implement CI in their future classrooms. Grounded in Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory and Dewey’s (1916) educational philosophy, we surveyed 216 final-year K-8 PSTs to assess their self-efficacy across five domains: mathematics, literacy, CI, LMCI, and professional learning in LMCI. The findings respond to research questions examining differences in PSTs’ self-efficacy for teaching literacy, mathematics, CI, and LMCI, and the relationships among PSTs’ self-efficacy scores for each domain.

Authors

• Catherine Susin, Brock University

• Tiffany L. Gallagher, Brock University