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This project reviewed the state of the research drawing from articles published from 1990 to 2014 (25 years) with elementary prospective teachers (EPTs) as participants, who were completing university courses focused on mathematics content. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. Of these studies, 11 examined noncognitive factors such as beliefs, attitudes, motivation, and identity, 10 investigated mathematical knowledge in various forms, two explored noncognitive factors and mathematical knowledge, and one examined classroom norms and mathematical justification. Nineteen of the 24 studies occurred in the context of courses categorized as involving alternative pedagogy. The analysis revealed positive changes in EPTs' affect (e.g., beliefs, attitudes, emotions) were possible as a result of course experiences, but these shifts were sometimes difficult to come by and encountered resistance from EPTs. Some studies showed an increase in EPTs' content knowledge across the courses, whereas others did not achieve the desired effects. Implications for course learning experiences are offered.

The purpose of this study was to review the existing research on affect (beliefs, attitudes, and emotions) of elementary prospective teachers (EPTs) in university mathematics content courses. We use as our time period from publication in the United States of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for Schools Mathematics through 2016. A search of a combination of electronic databases and targeted international journals resulted in a total of 11 studies that looked at some aspect of affect with EPTs in all or some part of a university mathematics course over the 27-year time period. Nine of the 11 studies occurred in the context of a course or courses categorized as involving an alternative pedagogy that was student-centered. Overall we found that a student-centered approach to instruction supported changes in EPTs' affect that align with pedagogical recommendations in reform documents such as the NCTM Standards. However, shifts were sometimes difficult to come by and encountered resistance from EPTs. Implications for course learning experiences are offered and conflicting results between studies suggest directions for future research.