The Influence of the Implementation of a Dialectical Reconstruction of Knowledge Teaching Approach on the Evolution of Self-perception in Mathematics of Students Enrolled in a Primary Education Program

AbstractStudent teachers enrolled in primary education appear to be strongly influenced by their relationship with mathematical contents and their perception about their own ability to master these contents. Like Terrier (2011), we believe that “self- perception is not fixed once and for all. It evolves by our encounters and experiences”. In this context, we wanted to verify whether the teaching approach based on the model of dialectical reconstruction of knowledge (Boyer, 2001) implemented in the mathematics’ teaching courses at the Université du Québec en Outaouais could positively influence students’ self- perception in mathematics. The teaching approach encourages student teachers to deconstruct and then rebuild their understanding of mathematics and mathematics teaching. To do this, we used an Osgood type questionnaire (scale of 1 to 7) with 33 pairs of adjectives taken from texts written by students describing their attitude towards mathematics. We administered the questionnaire before and after the first mathematics course and after the second mathematics course. This paper presents the results and analysis of the possible influence of the teaching approach on self-perception in mathematics implemented in the two courses in mathematics education