Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education, Teaching and Learning Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Brette Garner

Second Advisor

Paul Michalec

Third Advisor

Lilian Chimuma

Fourth Advisor

Lisa Victoravich

Keywords

Ambitious and equitable, Math anxiety, Math self-efficacy, Math teacher self-efficacy, Math teaching anxiety, Rehumanizing

Abstract

This study aimed to understand graduate-level Elementary Preservice Teachers’ (EPST) mathematical dispositions before, during, and after a graduate elementary math methods course taught through a rehumanizing (Gutiérrez, 2018), ambitious and equitable math (Horn & Garner, 2022) teaching framework. In this study, EPSTs’ dispositions included four constructs: math anxiety, math teaching anxiety, math self-efficacy, and math teacher self-efficacy. To fully understand the nuance and complexity of teacher education and EPSTs’ mathematical dispositions, I looked at both the EPSTs' and the instructors' perspectives. I investigated EPSTs’ dispositions through a modified multi-methods, sequential, and phenomenological lens. For the instructors’ perspectives, I conducted a qualitative self-study. EPSTs were part of one teacher preparation program in a medium-sized western private university. All 18 EPSTs were enrolled in one elementary math methods course co-taught by two instructors: the author of this dissertation and her advisor, Dr. Brette Garner.

Results show that a four-credit ten-week elementary math methods course statistically significantly decreased EPSTs’ math anxiety, math teaching anxiety, and math teacher self-efficacy. The results for self-efficacy were more nuanced. 11 EPSTs’ self-efficacy results increased, but not at a statistically significant level. Additionally, the qualitative data enhanced the narratives of the positive evolutions of the EPSTs. Results of the self-study, support the claim that the course was taught through a rehumanizing, ambitious and equitable lens. Within this teaching lens, we created four math teacher educator design principles that can be applied and modified for other teacher educators’ courses. These course design principles had an overwhelmingly positive impact on EPSTs and will begin to break the cycle of dehumanization for students in elementary math classrooms.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Christine E. Hood

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

359 pgs

Discipline

Teacher education, Mathematics education, Elementary education

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