Search

International comparisons of student achievement in mathematics and their attitudes towards, confidence with and anxiety to mathematics have a long history. Likewise, detailed international comparisons of teacher education programs have also been conducted. However, the relationship between the teacher education programs and teacher anxiety for teaching mathematics have not been investigated. This paper is part of a larger research project investigating the relationship between teacher education programs and mathematical anxiety of its pre-service teachers. It reports on the initial comparison of the teacher education programs for primary teachers from a university in Sweden, Germany, and Australia, specifically the mathematics education addressed in the programs. The paper concludes with an outline of the future research.

It is essential that pre-service teacher educators address pre-service teacher numeracy but with careful consideration as it incorporates more than mathematics skills. Numeracy also involves disposition towards mathematics--attitudes, confidence and mathematics anxiety; that is, the level of willingness to use mathematics skills. As part of an emphasis on developing pre-service teacher numeracy, a new first year unit was introduced. Pre-service teachers were given tools to investigate their competence, attitudes towards, confidence with, and anxiety regarding mathematics. This paper outlines the changes that were identified in the numeracy of these pre-service teachers at the completion of the unit.

The issue of mathematics anxiety and its possible links to mathematical competence have long been of concern to mathematics educators, particularly with the potential of the effects of mathematics anxiety to be transmitted from teacher to student. Hence it is in the interests of teacher educators to understand the nature of mathematics anxiety and connections that may exist between mathematics anxiety and mathematical competence. This study examines the connections between sitting a mathematics competency test and situational anxiety in a group of 47 pre-service teachers in their first year of study. Data were analysed by grouping the pre-service teachers into one of three groups based on their passing test score (a mark of 80-89% or a mark of 90% and above) or their having not sat the competency test. Results indicate that there were strong correlations between the three groups of pre-service teachers in their overall responses to the anxiety questionnaires. However, when data were considered in terms of situations (working in a group, taking a test, and teaching mathematics) and domains (somatic, knowledge, cognitive, and attitude), differences were evident. The implications of these results and the potential impact on teacher education programs are discussed. An appendix presents examples of the types of questions asked in the online mathematics competency tests. (Contains 1 figure.)