Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers’ Learning Styles and Attitudes towards Mathematics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of pre-service elementary school teachers' attitudes towards mathematics according to their learning styles. Two hundreds eighty one pre-service elementary school teachers were involved in this study. The researchers employed two types of instruments, Learning Style Inventory and Scale of Mathematics Attitude Questionnaire, to collect the data. The learning style inventory was designed to detect the participants' learning styles, Divergent, Assimilator, Convergent, and Accommodator, and the scale of mathematics attitude questionnaire was used to find the participants' attitudes towards mathematics. After the collection of the data, the researchers run the one-way ANOVA to show the attitude differences based on the learning styles. The study concluded that there were statistically significant differences found between the attitudes of learners, convergent and assimilator, and that the convergent learners had more positive attitudes towards mathematics than the assimilator learners.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Teaching Anxiety about Mathematics and Their Learning Styles

“…As pre-service teachers' mathematics teaching anxiety levels decrease, the differences among preservice teachers according to different variables may disappear, because the main purpose is to make sure that every pre-service teacher learns at an optimum and equal level together with others. Like many other researchers (Morris & McCarthy, 1990;Harb, Durrant, & Terry, 1993;Knisley, 2002;Peker & Mirasyedioğlu, 2008) I hope that the learning cycle (or 4 MAT system) constructed according to different learning styles will improve mathematics achievement and attitudes towards mathematics teaching among pre-service teachers. Pre-service teachers can find that all the features of the four learner types, and the difference between their mathematics teaching anxieties depending on learning styles, can be eliminated by applying the 4 MAT system.…”

“…For example, Peker (2005) found that learning style was a good predictor of mathematics achievement for pre-service teachers. Peker and Mirasyedioğlu (2008) found significant differences in attitudes towards mathematics among pre-service elementary school teachers with different learning styles. Besides, Hadfield and Maddux (1988), Hadfield, Martin, and Wooden (1992), and Sloan, Daane, and Giesen (2002) claimed that learning styles were related to mathematics anxiety.…”

“…For instance, Hadfield and Maddux (1988) found no statistically significant differences between mathematics achievement and learning styles. On the other hand, according to several other research findings, learning style preference is an important factor in student achievement and attitudes towards mathematics (Smith, 1996;Peker, 2005;Peker & Mirasyedioğlu, 2008). For example, Peker (2005) found that learning style was a good predictor of mathematics achievement for pre-service teachers.…”

The Effect of Teacher Charisma on Student Attitude Towards Calculus Learning

“…A lot of research supports the positive role that students' attitudes toward mathematics plays in their academic achievement and careers in the mathematical sciences [3] [6] [13]. Buckley argued that if a student enjoys in class they will be motivated to invest more effort in that class and perhaps future classes and they will learn more effectively [1].…”

Examination of the Relationship between the Preschool Teachers’ Attitudes towards Mathematics and the Mathematical Development in 6-Year-Old Preschool Children

“…Teachers' attitudes toward mathematics also affect their teaching of mathematics (Ma, 1997;Gellert, 1999;Lee, 2005;Brown, 2005;Brown et al, 2008;Sweeting, 2011). Moreover, it is thought that teachers' negative attitudes towards mathematics affects children's attitudes towards mathematics (Bush, 1989;Bursal & Paznokas, 2006;Malinsky, Ross, Pannells, & McJunkin, 2006;Peker & Mirasyedioğlu, 2008;Gresham, 2008;Peker, 2009). There is research that suggests a relationship between the qualifications of teachers and their children's academic achievements (Roberts et al, 1998;Brown et al, 2008;Thornton, 2009).…”