Charting the Attitude and Belief Journeys of Teacher Candidates in a Reform-Based Mathematics and Science Teacher Preparation Program

J. Randy McGinnis; Steve Kramer; Amy Roth-McDuffie; Tad Watanabe

This study reports the use longitudinally of a valid and reliable instrument to measure teacher candidates' attitudes and beliefs about the nature of and the teaching of mathematics and science. The instrument used, "Attitudes and Beliefs about the Nature of and the Teaching of Mathematics and Science," was developed for the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP), a National Science Foundation-funded undergraduate teacher preparation program for specialist mathematics and science elementary/middle level teachers. The current analysis reports on how MCTP teacher candidates' attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics and science evolved over a two-year period. During the Fall 1995 and Spring 1996 semesters the instrument was administered in MCTP classes twice each semester to the study participants (N=104; 100% response). During the Fall 1996 and Spring 1997 semesters the instrument was mailed to the study participants at the end of each semester (N=96; 46% Fall response; 75% Spring response). Since individual responses to the questionnaire were not independent, the unit-of-analysis responses from five institutions participating in the program were used. Survey responses within each institution were aggregated and changes analyzed (repeated-measures t-test design). It was determined that the MCTP appears to affect participating teacher candidates' attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics and science in the direction intended. In particular, the MCTP teacher candidates' attitudes and beliefs moved in the desired direction on all five subscales of the instrument. Moreover, the magnitude of change was statistically significant at the .01 level for the subscale measuring "Beliefs about the Nature of Mathematics and Science" and for the subscale measuring "Beliefs about Teaching Mathematics and Science". In addition, the magnitude of change for the subscale measuring "Attitudes towards Mathematics and Science" approached statistical significance. These findings make a highly significant contribution to the science and mathematics education research communities interested in charting the attitudinal and belief journeys of teacher candidates participating in a reform-based teacher preparation program. (Contains 6 tables, 5 figures and 31 references.) (Author/NB)

Charting the Attitude and Belief Journeys of Teacher Candidates in a Reform-Based Mathematics and Science Teacher Preparation Program

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