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Prospective elementary teachers’ motivation to participate in whole-class discussions during mathematics content courses for teachers

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Abstract

Prospective elementary teachers’ (N = 148) motivation to participate in whole-class discussions during mathematics content courses for teachers, as expressed in their own words on an open-ended questionnaire, were studied. Results indicated that prospective teachers were motivated by positive utility values for participating (to achieve a short-term goal of learning mathematics or a long-term goal of becoming a teacher), to demonstrate competence (to achieve performance-approach goals), or to help others (to achieve social goals). Negative utility values for participating were expressed by those who preferred to learn through actively listening. Five motivational profiles, as composed of interactions among motivational values, beliefs, goals and self-reported participation practices, were prevalent in this sample. Self-reported variations among participants’ utility values and participation practices suggested that prospective teachers engaged differentially in opportunities to learn to communicate mathematically. Results provide pedagogical learner knowledge for mathematics teacher educators.

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Acknowledgment

I would like to thank Yi Song for her assistance with developing and piloting the questionnaire and James Beyers for his assistance with data analysis. Additionally, I would like to thank Alfinio Flores and Christine Phelps for their feedback on previous versions of this paper. Results from this study were presented previously at the Research Pre-Session of the 2006 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

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  1. School of Education, University of Delaware, 105A Willard Hall Educ. Bldg, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Amanda Jansen

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  1. Amanda Jansen
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Correspondence to Amanda Jansen.

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Jansen, A. Prospective elementary teachers’ motivation to participate in whole-class discussions during mathematics content courses for teachers. Educ Stud Math 71, 145–160 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-008-9168-7

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