Views of Prospective Early Childhood Education Teachers, Towards Mathematics and Its Instruction

Source: European Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 30, Issue 3 August 2007, pages 305 - 318

The questions this paper attempts to answer are related to the attitudes of student teachers of the Department of Early Childhood Education at the University of Patras (Greece) towards mathematics, as well as their views on the instruction of mathematics in Early Childhood Education. The research sample included 52 students in the fourth semester of studies, who were invited to answer a questionnaire with respect to mathematics and its instruction.

The findings reveal the negative attitude our research subjects adopt towards mathematics. Their epistemological views on mathematics and its instruction do not constitute a single and solid conceptual system. These findings underline the need to improve the mathematical education offered to student teachers of Early Childhood Education.