False beliefs about mathematics in spanish pre-service teachers and relations with math anxiety

  1. M. José Justicia Galiano 1
  2. Santiago Pelegrina 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Jaén
    info

    Universidad de Jaén

    Jaén, España

    ROR https://ror.org/0122p5f64

Revista:
EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

ISSN: 2174-8144,  2254-9625

Año de publicación: 2024

Volumen: 14

Número: 7

Páginas: 1913-1926

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.3390/EJIHPE14070127 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

Otras publicaciones en: EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

Resumen

Teachers may hold beliefs about how students learn mathematics and about the subject itself. However, some of these beliefs, often referred to as “math myths”, may be oversimplified ideas that appear valid but lack solid scientific evidence. This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of math myths among Spanish pre-service teachers and compare it with the degree of support for these myths reported in previous studies; investigate the possible underlying structure of a set of false beliefs about math; and determine the relationships of certain math misconceptions with math anxiety. A total of 212 Spanish pre-service teachers were administered questionnaires about math myths and about general and math anxiety. The results showed prevalence patterns of each math misconception similar to those in previous studies. False beliefs about math showed weak or negligible correlations with each other and did not exhibit a discernible underlying structure. Furthermore, math anxiety was related to the belief that some individuals are perceived to possess a “math mind” while others do not. Our results suggest diverse origins for the development of different math myths, rather than the myths being the consequence of a single underlying factor. Finally, the endorsement of certain beliefs about who can do mathematics may contribute to negative emotions towards mathematics.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Pajares, M.F. Teachers’ Beliefs and Educational Research: Cleaning up a Messy Construct. Rev. Educ. Res. 1992, 62, 307–332.
  • Furnham, A.; Hughes, D.J. Myths and Misconceptions in Popular Psychology: Comparing Psychology Students and the General Public. Teach. Psychol. 2014, 41, 256–261.
  • Meinz, E.J.; Tennison, J.L.; Dominguez, W.A. Who Believes the “50 Great Myths of Psychology”? Teach. Psychol. 2024, 51, 30–38.
  • Varea, E.; Enesco, I.; Guerrero, S.; Barrios, P. Myths of Popular Psychology among University Students and Teachers: Does Training in Psychology Reduce Belief in Myths? Teach. Psychol. 2022, 009862832211291.
  • Menz, C.; Spinath, B.; Seifried, E. Where do pre-service teachers’ educational psychological misconceptions come from? The roles of anecdotal versus scientific evidence. Z. Für Pädagogische Psychol. 2021, 35, 143–156.
  • Dekker, S.; Lee, N.C.; Howard-Jones, P.; Jolles, J. Neuromyths in Education: Prevalence and Predictors of Misconceptions among Teachers. Front. Psychol. 2012, 3, 429.
  • Gleichgerrcht, E.; Lira Luttges, B.; Salvarezza, F.; Campos, A.L. Educational Neuromyths Among Teachers in Latin America. Mind Brain Educ. 2015, 9, 170–178.
  • Macdonald, K.; Germine, L.; Anderson, A.; Christodoulou, J.; McGrath, L.M. Dispelling the Myth: Training in Education or Neuroscience Decreases but Does Not Eliminate Beliefs in Neuromyths. Front. Psychol. 2017, 8, 1314.
  • Papadatou-Pastou, M.; Haliou, E.; Vlachos, F. Brain Knowledge and the Prevalence of Neuromyths among Prospective Teachers in Greece. Front. Psychol. 2017, 8, 804.
  • Tardif, E.; Doudin, P.; Meylan, N. Neuromyths Among Teachers and Student Teachers. Mind Brain Educ. 2015, 9, 50–59.
  • Ferrero, M.; Garaizar, P.; Vadillo, M.A. Neuromyths in Education: Prevalence among Spanish Teachers and an Exploration of Cross-Cultural Variation. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 2016, 10, 496.
  • Carboni, A.; Maiche, A.; Valle-Lisboa, J.C. Teaching the Science in Neuroscience to Protect From Neuromyths: From Courses to Fieldwork. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 2021, 15, 718399.
  • Barlow, A.T.; Reddish, J.M. Mathematical Myths: Teacher Candidates’ Beliefs and the Implications for Teacher Educators. Teach. Educ. 2006, 41, 145–157.
  • Frank, M.L. What Myths About Mathematics Are Held and Conveyed by Teachers? Arith. Teach. 1990, 37, 10–12.
  • Phelps-Gregory, C.M.; Frank, M.; Spitzer, S.M. Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematical Myths: A Historical and Qualitative Examination. Teach. Educ. 2020, 55, 6–27.
  • Pasquinelli, E. Neuromyths: Why Do They Exist and Persist? Mind Brain Educ. 2012, 6, 89–96.
  • Howard-Jones, P.A. Neuroscience and Education: Myths and Messages. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2014, 15, 817–824.
  • Carter, G.; Norwood, K.S. The Relationship Between Teacher and Student Beliefs About Mathematics. Sch. Sci. Math. 1997, 97, 62–67.
  • Staub, F.C.; Stern, E. The Nature of Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Beliefs Matters for Students’ Achievement Gains: QuasiExperimental Evidence from Elementary Mathematics. J. Educ. Psychol. 2002, 94, 344–355.
  • Xie, S.; Cai, J. Teachers’ Beliefs about Mathematics, Learning, Teaching, Students, and Teachers: Perspectives from Chinese High School In-Service Mathematics Teachers. Int. J. Sci. Math. Educ. 2021, 19, 747–769.
  • Kogelman, S.; Warren, J. Mind over Math: Put Yourself on the Road to Success by Freeing Yourself from Math Anxiety, 1st ed.; McGraw-Hill: New York, NY, USA, 1979; ISBN 978-0-07-035281-0.
  • Horvath, J.C.; Donoghue, G.M.; Horton, A.J.; Lodge, J.M.; Hattie, J.A.C. On the Irrelevance of Neuromyths to Teacher Effectiveness: Comparing Neuro-Literacy Levels Amongst Award-Winning and Non-Award Winning Teachers. Front. Psychol. 2018, 9, 1666.
  • Grospietsch, F.; Lins, I. Review on the Prevalence and Persistence of Neuromyths in Education—Where We Stand and What Is Still Needed. Front. Educ. 2021, 6, 665752.
  • Pelegrina, S.; Martín-Puga, M.E.; Lechuga, M.T.; Justicia-Galiano, M.J.; Linares, R. Role of Executive Functions in the Relations of State- and Trait-math Anxiety with Math Performance. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2024, 1535, 76–91.
  • Barroso, C.; Ganley, C.M.; McGraw, A.L.; Geer, E.A.; Hart, S.A.; Daucourt, M.C. A Meta-Analysis of the Relation between Math Anxiety and Math Achievement. Psychol. Bull. 2021, 147, 134–168.
  • Lau, N.T.T.; Hawes, Z.; Tremblay, P.; Ansari, D. Disentangling the Individual and Contextual Effects of Math Anxiety: A Global Perspective. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2022, 119, e2115855119.
  • Swars, S.L.; Smith, S.Z.; Smith, M.E.; Hart, L.C. A Longitudinal Study of Effects of a Developmental Teacher Preparation Program on Elementary Prospective Teachers’ Mathematics Beliefs. J. Math. Teach. Educ. 2009, 12, 47–66.
  • Novak, E.; Tassell, J.L. Studying Preservice Teacher Math Anxiety and Mathematics Performance in Geometry, Word, and Non-Word Problem Solving. Learn. Individ. Differ. 2017, 54, 20–29.
  • Hughes, P.; Swars Auslander, S.; Stinson, D.W.; Fortner, C.K. Elementary Teachers’ Mathematical Beliefs and Mathematics Anxiety: How Do They Shape Instructional Practices? Sch. Sci. Math. 2019, 119, 213–222.
  • Beisly, A.; Evans, S.; Latta, L. Process over Product: Associations among Math Anxiety, Feelings about Math, and Instructional Beliefs in Early Childhood Preservice Teachers. J. Math. Teach. Educ. 2024.
  • Lavidas, K.; Skopeliti, I.; Zacharos, K.; Panagiotounakos, E.-P. Preservice Preschool Teachers’ Mathematics Experience and Math Anxiety on Their Beliefs about and Attitudes toward Teaching Mathematics. J. Early Child. Teach. Educ. 2023, 44, 962–979.
  • Justicia-Galiano, M.J.; Martín-Puga, M.E.; Linares, R.; Pelegrina, S. Gender Stereotypes about Math Anxiety: Ability and Emotional Components. Learn. Individ. Differ. 2023, 105, 102316.
  • Bieg, M.; Goetz, T.; Wolter, I.; Hall, N.C. Gender Stereotype Endorsement Differentially Predicts Girls’ and Boys’ Trait-State Discrepancy in Math Anxiety. Front. Psychol. 2015, 6, 1404.
  • Hopko, D.R.; Mahadevan, R.; Bare, R.L.; Hunt, M.K. The Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS): Construction, Validity, and Reliability. Assessment 2003, 10, 178–182.
  • Martín-Puga, M.E.; Justicia-Galiano, M.J.; Gómez-Pérez, M.M.; Pelegrina, S. Psychometric Properties, Factor Structure, and Gender and Educational Level Invariance of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS) in Spanish Children and Adolescents. Assessment 2022, 29, 425–440.
  • Spielberger, C.D. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults; APA: Whashington, DC, USA, 2012.
  • Seisdedos, N. STAIC, Cuestionario de Autoevaluación; TEA Ediciones S.A.: Madrid, Spain, 1990.
  • Revelle, W. How to: Use the Psych Package for Factor Analysis and Data Reduction Evanston; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University: Evanston, IL, USA, 2020.
  • R Core Team R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing; R Foundation for Statistical Computing: Vienna, Austria, 2022.
  • Torrijos-Muelas, M.; González-Víllora, S.; Bodoque-Osma, A.R. The Persistence of Neuromyths in the Educational Settings: A Systematic Review. Front. Psychol. 2021, 11, 591923.
  • Gonzalez-DeHass, A.R.; Furner, J.M.; Vásquez-Colina, M.D.; Morris, J.D. Undergraduate Students’ Math Anxiety: The Role of Mindset, Achievement Goals, and Parents. Int. J. Sci. Math. Educ. 2023, 22, 1037–1056.
  • Huang, X.; Zhang, J.; Hudson, L. Impact of Math Self-Efficacy, Math Anxiety, and Growth Mindset on Math and Science Career Interest for Middle School Students: The Gender Moderating Effect. Eur. J. Psychol. Educ. 2019, 34, 621–640.
  • Chestnut, E.; Lei, R.; Leslie, S.-J.; Cimpian, A. The Myth That Only Brilliant People Are Good at Math and Its Implications for Diversity. Educ. Sci. 2018, 8, 65.
  • McAfee, M.; Hoffman, B. The Morass of Misconceptions: How Unjustified Beliefs Influence Pedagogy and Learning. Int. J. Sch. Teach. Learn. 2021, 15, 4.
  • Krammer, G.; Vogel, S.E.; Grabner, R.H. Believing in Neuromyths Makes Neither a Bad Nor Good Student-Teacher: The Relationship between Neuromyths and Academic Achievement in Teacher Education. Mind Brain Educ. 2021, 15, 54–60.
  • Rousseau, L. Interventions to Dispel Neuromyths in Educational Settings—A Review. Front. Psychol. 2021, 12, 719692.
  • Anderson, R.; Boaler, J.; Dieckmann, J. Achieving Elusive Teacher Change through Challenging Myths about Learning: A Blended Approach. Educ. Sci. 2018, 8, 98.
  • Boaler, J.; Dieckmann, J.A.; Pérez-Núñez, G.; Sun, K.L.; Williams, C. Changing Students Minds and Achievement in Mathematics: The Impact of a Free Online Student Course. Front. Educ. 2018, 3, 26.
  • Smith, T.F.; Capuzzi, G. Using a Mindset Intervention to Reduce Anxiety in the Statistics Classroom. Psychol. Learn. Teach. 2019, 18, 326–336.
  • Olson, A.M.; Stoehr, K.J. From Numbers to Narratives: Preservice Teachers Experiences’ with Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Teaching Anxiety. Sch. Sci. Math. 2019, 119, 72–82.
  • Peker, M.; Ertekin, E. The Relationship between Mathematics Teaching Anxiety and Mathematics Anxiety. New Educ. Rev. 2009, 23, 213–226.
  • Marbán, J.M.; Palacios, A.; Maroto, A. Enjoyment of Teaching Mathematics among Pre-Service Teachers. Math. Ed. Res. J. 2021, 33, 613–629.
  • Jenßen, L.; Eid, M.; Szczesny, M.; Eilerts, K.; Blömeke, S. Development of Early Childhood Teachers’ Knowledge and Emotions in Mathematics during Transition from Teacher Training to Practice. J. Educ. Psychol. 2021, 113, 1628–1644.
  • Schaeffer, M.W.; Rozek, C.S.; Maloney, E.A.; Berkowitz, T.; Levine, S.C.; Beilock, S.L. Elementary School Teachers’ Math Anxiety and Students’ Math Learning: A Large-scale Replication. Dev. Sci. 2021, 24, e13080.
  • Sullivan, K.A.; Hughes, B.; Gilmore, L. Measuring Educational Neuromyths: Lessons for Future Research. Mind Brain Educ. 2021, 15, 232–238.
  • Peng, P.; Namkung, J.; Barnes, M.; Sun, C. A Meta-Analysis of Mathematics and Working Memory: Moderating Effects of Working Memory Domain, Type of Mathematics Skill, and Sample Characteristics. J. Educ. Psychol. 2016, 108, 455–473.
Fuente de los datos: Dialnet