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Confidence is Everything” – Perspectives of Teachers and Students on Learning Mathematics

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Abstract

This paper problematises ‘confidence’ as a frequently used explanation for performance in the mathematics classroom. I report on an interview-based study of how some English ‘Advanced’ level (16+) students who have chosen to study mathematics, and their teachers, speak about confidence with respect to the learning of mathematics. I outline what constitutes confident learners for these teachers and, differently, for their students and what the students feel teachers could do to improve the students’ confident state. I discuss the implications of this for the education of prospective teachers of mathematics.

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  1. King’s College, London, UK

    Leone Burton

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  1. Leone Burton
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Correspondence to Leone Burton.

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Burton, L. Confidence is Everything” – Perspectives of Teachers and Students on Learning Mathematics. J Math Teacher Educ 7, 357–381 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-004-3355-y

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