Pre-service Mathematics Teachers’ Conceptual Knowledge Related To Basic Concepts And Operations

Abstract

The aim of this study is to discuss the conceptual dimensions of pre-service mathematics teachers' approaches to the basic concepts and operations of mathematics. 25 pre-service mathematics teachers in the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, who were educated at a state university, participated in the research. Four open-ended questions about the basic concepts of mathematics were asked to pre-service mathematics teachers and their written opinions were received. Content and descriptive analysis were applied to the responses. As a result of the analyzes, pre-service teachers did not approach these questions in the context of conceptual knowledge, but generally gave the answers in the context of procedural knowledge. Pre-service mathematics teachers used reflective thinking, which they used to compare the procedural knowledge processes they gained in the formal education process with the previous solutions, in these question solutions as well.

Keywords

• Conceptual knowledge
• Procedural knowledge
• Pre-service teacher

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