Aftermath of overlooking foundation pre-service mathematics teachers’ beliefs: A self-study in post-apartheid South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38140/obp3-2025-08Keywords:
Beliefs, post-apartheid South Africa, pre-service mathematics education, self-reflexive metaphor, starting with ourselvesAbstract
Mathematics is often described as a “high status” discipline and in primary schools, mathematics is compulsory. However, in educational research, myriad performance issues in primary mathematics teaching and learning have been emphasised. The foundations of future mathematics learning are laid for young learners by their teachers who are often the learners’ main resource, and foundation mathematics problems snowball as learners progress through schooling levels. Teachers are certified by higher education institutions so it is thus worthwhile for primary mathematics teacher educators to explore constructive, reflexive, optimistic, starting-with-ourselves approaches to reflect on what is offered in mathematics education. This looking inward approach contrasts with research in which recommendations are proposed to encourage improvements in professional practice. The research question for this study was: “What primary mathematics education professional learning can I (re)construct by reflecting on teacher education modules offered at my higher education institution, using a self-reflexive approach?” My primary study source was the foundation phase mathematics education modules detailed in University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Handbook for 2024. This qualitative study explored the competences offered by these modules in the university’s foundation phase mathematics teacher education programme, and included a set of objects used as a metaphor for self-reflexivity and to represent the importance of attending to the often-overlooked pre-service teachers’ beliefs about mathematics education in post-apartheid South Africa.
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