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Perceptions on proof and the teaching of proof: a comparison across preservice secondary teachers in Australia, USA and Korea

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Abstract

Despite the recognised importance of mathematical proof in secondary education, there is a limited but growing body of literature indicating how preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) view proof and the teaching of proof. The purpose of this survey research was to investigate how PSMTs in Australia, the USA and Korea perceive of proof in the context of secondary mathematics teaching and learning. PSMTs were able to outline various mathematical and pedagogical aspects of proof, including purposes, characteristics, reasons for teaching and imposed constraints. In addition, PSMTs attended to differing, though overlapping, features of proof when asked to determine the extent to which proposed arguments constituted proofs or to decide which arguments they might present to students.

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Notes

  1. See Lesseig (2011, 2016) for extensive literature review and empirical study that led to the development of the MKT for Proof framework.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Education Department, Washington State University Vancouver, Undergraduate (VUB) Building, Room 345, Vancouver, WA, USA

    Kristin Lesseig

  2. School of Education, The University of Notre Dame Australia, 2 Mouat Street, Fremantle, WA, 6160, Australia

    Gregory Hine

  3. Cheongju National University of Education, Chungbuk, 361-712, South Korea

    Gwi Soo Na

  4. Education Department, Washington State University Vancouver, Undergraduate (VUB) Building, Room 344, Vancouver, WA, USA

    Kaleinani Boardman

Authors
  1. Kristin Lesseig
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  2. Gregory Hine
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  3. Gwi Soo Na
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  4. Kaleinani Boardman
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Correspondence to Gregory Hine.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Table 7 Questions for survey instrument Parts I, II and III
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Lesseig, K., Hine, G., Na, G.S. et al. Perceptions on proof and the teaching of proof: a comparison across preservice secondary teachers in Australia, USA and Korea. Math Ed Res J 31, 393–418 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00260-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00260-7

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