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Factors that pre-service elementary teachers perceive as affecting their motivational profiles in mathematics

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the sources that pre-service teachers (PSTs) use when they construct their self-efficacy beliefs and learning goals, which compose their motivational profiles. Pre-service elementary teachers (n = 22) with different motivational profiles participated in narrative interviews designed to examine retrospectively their past experiences in mathematics and the effect of those experiences on their motivational profiles. Results reveal that participants relied on multiple sources to construct their efficacy beliefs and goals, including past performance, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasions, career goals, and the fit between participants’ views of mathematics and the nature of mathematics in their classes. While some of these factors have been identified by previous research, the contribution of the current study is to extend this research to a new population and to elaborate on these factors. Results also help refine and extend our knowledge of PSTs’ motivation and suggest ways that teacher educators could influence PSTs’ motivational profiles.

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Notes

  1. There are other theories concerning expectancy theory and reasons for engagement (e.g. Eccles et al. expectancy-value model (Eccles et al., 1983)). The similarities, differences, and relationships between the different theories are not yet completely reconciled and are beyond the scope of this article.

  2. The four motivational profiles provided in Table 1 are simply examples I created. There are many different possible motivational profiles.

  3. The course instructors and the interviewer (myself) were not the same person. None of the participants were my students at the time of the study.

  4. Modifications included replacing the phrase “in class” with “in my math classes” and the phrases “the work” or “my work” with “math” or “math work.” For the revised version of PALS, all subscales were reliable with Cronbach’s alphas over 0.8.

  5. To protect participants’ identities, all names are pseudonyms.

  6. At this university, results are measured with a grade point average (GPA) that uses a 4.0 scale (4.0 being the highest score) to summarize all course grades.

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Acknowledgments

Preparation of this article was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation, Grant 0083429 to the Mid-Atlantic Center for Teaching and Learning Mathematics. The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Foundation. This paper is partly based on a presentation at the Research Pre-Session of the Annual Meeting of the 2010 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in San Diego, CA. I would like to thank Amanda Jansen for her help in research design, analysis, and her comments on many earlier drafts. I would also like to thank Sandy Spitzer for her help with analysis, Dawn Berk, Anne Morris, Alfinio Flores, and several anonymous reviewers for their comments on earlier drafts, and various other members of the math education group at the University of Delaware for help with research design and comments on earlier drafts. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Christine Phelps, Department of Mathematics, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859; email: phelp1cm@cmich.edu.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics, Pearce Hall, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA

    Christine M. Phelps

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  1. Christine M. Phelps
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Correspondence to Christine M. Phelps.

Appendix

Appendix

Interview One Protocol

  1. 1.

    Could you describe yourself to me as a mathematics student? What should I know about you?

  2. 2.

    If you had to sum up all your experiences doing mathematics in five events, what would they be?

  3. 3.

    How would you describe your feelings and emotions about mathematics?

  4. 4.

    How did other people influence your experiences as a mathematics student?

  5. 5.

    How did your classes influence your experiences as a mathematics student?

  6. 6.

    People have different reasons for doing mathematics. Some people say that they do mathematics more to earn a grade and others say that they do mathematics to make sense of it. Which of these two do you think more describes you: learning for a grade or learning to make sense of the mathematics? Why?

  7. 7.

    Did interactions with other people influence your attention to (grades/ interest)? If so, how?

  8. 8.

    Did your classes influence your attention to (grades/ interest)? If so, how?

  9. 9.

    Focusing specifically on the mathematics content courses, how do you think these courses influenced your learning of mathematics?

  10. 10.

    Is there anything you’d like to add about your experiences in mathematics?

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Phelps, C.M. Factors that pre-service elementary teachers perceive as affecting their motivational profiles in mathematics. Educ Stud Math 75, 293–309 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-010-9257-2

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