Could self-determined learning be a useful method to increase self-efficacy in mathematics and to reduce math anxiety

• Marcut Ioana Gabriela ^[1]
  1. [1] Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu

     Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu

     Rumanía

     
• Localización: Search and research [Recurso electrónico]: teacher education for contemporary contexts / coord. por Juan José Mena Marcos, Ana García-Valcárcel Muñoz-Repiso, Francisco José García Peñalvo, Marta Martín del Pozo, 2017, ISBN 978-84-9012-769-8, págs. 911-919
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Our students are prepared to become primary school teachers. In the last years, we have observed that their competences in mathematics are lower and lower and they even claim a math anxiety, caused by their previous experiences as pupils. The majority of our students have graduated from a humanistic high school and they haven’t had any contact with mathematics during the last 2-3 years.

    Self-determined learning, provided by heutagogy, has been experimented in teacher education and we have applied it to our postgraduate students who intend to become teachers as a minor. Self-determined learning means a flexible curriculum, according to the students’ needs, a mature way to fill the gaps in mathematics literacy and a method to bring the students closer to mathematics by themselves.

    The basic question of the study is: Can self-determined learning increase self-efficacy in mathematics and reduce math anxiety? We used questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the experiment to establish the degree of math self-efficacy and math anxiety. In parallel, a test was administered to measure the students’ math literacy, with the aim to make them aware of the needed competencies to teach math in the primary school.

    During the intervention, the students made their own plan to learn, searched resources, cooperated with their peers, shared experience. The teacher’s role was to guide them when needed and to help them to reflect on their work and their acquisitions. The results showed an increased math self-efficiency and a lower math anxiety. The students became more confident in their capability to teach mathematics.