Attitudes and beliefs of preservice elementary school teachers towards mathematics

This study purposed to see if measurable changes could be detected in prospective teachers\u27 attitudes or beliefs about mathematics as teachers progressed through their required courses of study in mathematics and mathematics education. The study included 164 prospective elementary school teachers who were enrolled in one of three mathematics or mathematics education courses. The subjects responded to a survey based on common mathematics myths. The mathematics myths correspond to mathematical beliefs shown in other research to be held by severely math anxious or math avoidant people. The study found that students disagreed more with the mathematics myths as they progressed through the mathematics and mathematics education courses and neither the student\u27s age nor gender played a significant role in their agreement or disagreement with the mathematics myths