A Pseudo-Longitudinal Approach for Investigating Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs During Their University Education

The aim of this pseudo-longitudinal study is to investigate pre-service teachers’ beliefs about (1) the nature of mathematics and (2) mathematics teaching and learning and the development of both beliefs over the course of their studies. A quantitative belief questionnaire was completed by 142 participants divided into three groups based on their years of studies: Beginning, Middle, and End. Additionally, five pre-service teachers from the End group were interviewed to explore the influence of different university courses on the development of their beliefs. The data analyses show a significant difference between the Beginning and the End group regarding beliefs about mathematics favoring a problem-solving view. The difference is an indication related to the development of beliefs about mathematics during teacher education. Courses dealing with university mathematics seem to be responsible for the development. Further, the data analyses also show significant differences between the Beginning and End group regarding beliefs about teaching and learning, also favoring a problem-solving view in a class dominated by low-achieving students. The differences indicate that beliefs about teaching and learning develop during teacher education. However, no evidence supports the hypothesis that courses related to mathematics education contribute to the observed differences. Instead, experiences during an internship semester in observing as well as teaching in real classes by applying what has been promoted in the courses may contribute to the development. Possible explanations regarding the development of beliefs and the contribution of courses in teacher education as well as the implication of the findings are discussed.