Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers’ Attitude Towards Geometry

Abstract

This study explores pre-service elementary school teachers' attitudes toward their learning of geometry. Fifty-six pre-service elementary school teachers who were enrolled in a mathematics content course for elementary and early childhood program completed the Utley Geometry Attitude Scales (UGAS) to measure attitudes of pre-service elementary teachers toward geometry. UGAS uses a Likert type scale where participants make subjects responds, on a scale of one to five, to their degree of agreement with a statement. A high score represents more indicative of an overall positive attitude towards geometry. The UGAS subscale data on the mean scores of the confidence of learning geometry scale, usefulness of studying geometry scale, and the enjoyment of studying geometry scale were 3.29, 3.65, and 2.83, respectively. The participants had a mean composite survey score of 3.25 on the 5-point Likert scale, with a score of one representing the most negative attitude, a score of three representing a neutral position, and a score of five representing the most positive attitude. Therefore, the mean composite score that reflected attitudes was just above the neutral position. The correlations among the three subscales were all statistically significant (p < 0.01). There appears to be a significant relationship between usefulness of studying geometry, enjoyment of learning geometry, and confidence of learning geometry in pre-service teachers. A significant relationship also appears to be (p < 0.01) between self-report grade and usefulness of studying geometry and confidence of learning geometry in pre-service teachers. Unfortunately, many pre-service elementary teachers in the study did not exhibit positive attitudes toward geometry learning. The lowest mean score for attitudes was the enjoyment of studying geometry scale in learning geometry at 2.83. The result also showed that the majority of the pre-service elementary teachers did not like solving geometrical problems. It also emerged that geometry was not a difficult topic and that, though most students did not like solving geometry, they considered geometry useful. The study revealed that the pre-service elementary teachers' attitudes toward the usefulness of geometry were moderately positive and that many of them believed that geometry was a valuable and necessary topic which could help them in their future careers and education. Recommendations for exposing pre-service teachers to positive attitudes about geometry are discussed.

Do Geometry Self-Efficacy and Spatial Anxiety Predict the Attitudes Towards Geometry?

“…The current study is aimed to determine the extent to which geometry self-efficacy and spatial anxiety predict the pre-service primary school teachers' attitudes towards geometry. At the same time, it is considered to be very important to break the cycle of the teacher having negative attitudes and accordingly causing his/her students to develop negative attitudes (Tsao, 2017). When the findings of the current study were examined in this regard, the preservice primary school teachers' positive self-efficacy beliefs were found to be higher than their negative self-efficacy beliefs and use of geometry knowledge.…”

“…Attitudes play an important role in students' geometry success (Tsao, 2017). In educational research, it is emphasized that it is important to develop a positive attitude because of the Mimbar Sekolah Dasar, Volume 8 Number 2 August 2021 [207] positive relationship between attitudes and higher achievement scores (Papanastasiou, 2000).…”

“…However, there are a limited number of studies investigating geometry-specific attitudes and selfefficacy and spatial anxiety together (Çağlayan, 2010). Moreover, given that the attitudes of primary school teachers towards geometry affect students' attitudes (Tsao, 2017) and students of the teachers having spatial anxiety are inadequate in activities requiring spatial skills (Gunderson, Ramirez, Beilock, & Levine, 2013), research to be conducted on pre-service teachers in this regard is believed to be important. The development of pre-service teachers' attitudes towards geometry has an important place in forming positive attitudes towards geometry for the children they teach.…”

Monitoring proficiency: Growth of number sense in primary school

“…In the related literature, there are various factors such as teacher knowledge (e.g., Faulkner & Cain, 2013; Noviyanti, 2018; Tsao & Lin, 2012; Whitacre & Nickerson, 2006), textbook (e.g. Cheng & Wang, 2012; Sayers et al, 2021), and curricula (e.g.…”

College of Education Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitude in Terms of Usefulness, Confidence and Enjoyment towards Geometry by Gender

“…This confirms the assertion that male students have more positive attitudes towards geometry than female students. Tsao's (2017) study explored pre-service elementary school teachers' attitudes toward learning of geometry where 56 participants completed the Likert Scale of Utley Geometry Attitude Scales (UGAS). The UGAS subscale measured usefulness of studying geometry, confidence of learning geometry and the enjoyment of studying geometry.…”