Student teachers’ conceptions of mathematical proof

The successful teaching of mathematical proof depends crucially on the subject knowledge of mathematics teachers. Yet the knowledge that teachers have of mathematics has become a matter of major concern in both pre-service and in-service teacher education. While this debate has largely focused on primary teachers, much less has been said about the subject knowledge of secondary mathematics teachers. This paper reports on an initial analysis of a small-scale investigation into trainee secondary mathematics teachers’ conceptions of mathematical proof. Some tentative implications are drawn from this preliminary analysis. For example, it may be that while the least well-qualified trainee secondary teachers may have the poorest grasp of mathematical proof, the most highly qualified may not necessarily have the specific kind of subject matter knowledge needed for the most effective teaching. The methodology of concept-maps used in this study may provide a valuable approach to gatherin