TEACHER EDUCATION: AN AGENT OF CHANGE FOR ATTITUDES TOWARDS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY Janette Bobis and Robyn Cusworth Faculty of Education University of Sydney This paper reports on the initial phases of a longitudinal investigation into the attitudes of preservice primary teachers towards mathematics and science/technology and toward the teaching of these subjects. Four aspects of the project distinguish it from previous investigations of preservice teachers' attitudes toward mathematics and science - it takes the perspective that preservice education has the potential to change not only preservice teachers' existing attitudes toward mathematics and science, but their attitude toward teaching practices in these disciplines; it raises issues common to both mathematics and science education and allows insights to be gained from a comparison of the two; it highlights the important impact technology has on the attitudes of preservice teachers toward mathematics and science; and it provides a more wholistic perspective on the change process by employing multiple data gathering techniques, thus allowing the researchers to focus on the underlying reasons for attitudinal shifts. A growing body of research has demonstrated that a teacher's own perception of self as a teacher in a particular discipline area along with his/her beliefs and attitudes about that subject affects the framework in which learning experiences are selected and presented (e.g. Clark & Peterson, 1986; Nias, 1989; Smith, 1983, 1986). Coupled with this research has been evidence to suggest that primary teachers often hold negative attitudes toward mathematics and science and that this negativity may be reflected in poor teaching in these curriculum areas (DEET, 1989). Together, these findings have important implications for the role of preservice teacher education. Preservice teacher education programs have the potential to provide prospective teachers with the capacity and confidence to change existing attitudes toward mathematics and science and develop a positive perception of their abilities to teach these subjects. The potential of teacher education programs to change the attitudes of preservice teachers has been considered by other researchers. Sullivan (1987), for instance, found that teacher education courses in mathematics "improved their attitudes overall, but those who started with negative attitudes still had the most negative attitudes at the end" (Sullivan, 1987, p.1). This paper provides a summary of the initial phases of a longitudinal investigation of the attitudes of preservice primary teachers towards mathematics and science/technology and their perceived confidence in teaching these disciplines to young children. Four aspects of the project distinguish it from previous investigations of preservice teachers' attitudes toward mathematics and science. First, the project takes the perspective that preservice education can have more than a superficial and short-lived impact on the attitudes of beginning teachers (Lortie, 1975; Denscombe, 1980; Martinez, 1992). Instead, it suggests that preservice programs have the potential to interact with personal past experiences and perspectives and to provide beginning teachers with the capacity and confidence to change existing practices. Secondly, research concerned with attitude toward mathematics and science has traditionally been reported in the literature separately. This investigation raises issues common to both disciplines and allows insights to be gained from a comparison of the two. Thirdly, the study identifies the importance of calculators and computers in influencing attitude toward mathematics and science. Previous investigations have not considered the impact of technology on the attitudes of preservice teachers. Technological changes in the curriculum will invariably be accompanied by changes in attitude toward mathematics and science and toward the teaching of these subjects. Lastly, multiple data gathering techniques provide a more wholistic perspective on the change process, allowing the researchers to focus on the underlying reasons for attitudinal shifts. While traditional quantitative and qualitative techniques provide the basis, the actual change process was monitored via reflective journals. Background Traditionally, research concerned with attitude toward mathematics and toward science has been reported quite separately. However, a review of the literature raises issues common to both discipline areas. For instance, there is a growing emphasis on the need to engender positive attitudes toward both mathematics and science from a very young age. Secondly, a need to increase teacher knowledge and confidence in teaching has been identified for both disciplines; and lastly, a growing body of knowledge is accumulating that links teacher attitudes toward the teaching of mathematics and science with student achievement in these subjects. Attitude toward mathematics and science of preservice primary teachers is of particular importance due to the potential these people have to influence the developing attitudes and self-concepts of young children (Aiken, 1976; Sullivan, 1987). The development of a positive attitude is desirable because of its association with achievement. In the case of mathematics, studies have found a low but significant correlation between attitude and achievement (Aiken, 1976; Kulm, 1980). While the relationship between attitude and achievement in science is not as strong (Gogolin & Swartz, 1992), studies have revealed a significant relationship between science self-concept and achievement. Other studies have found a significant relationship between teacher attitudes and those of their pupils (Haladyna, Oslen & Shaughnessy, 1982). Of major concern is the proportion of preservice primary teachers who reportedly possess negative attitudes toward mathematics and science and who lack the confidence to adequately teach these subjects. Research evidence suggests that teachers with low mathematics self-concepts may undermine the potential of students to learn, appreciate and react positively to math concepts (Relich, 1992). Systematic research of preservice teachers has started to reveal some interesting connections between attitudes, decisions to do further study in maths and science, self-concept and the attitudes preservice teachers possess toward the teaching of these subjects (Marsh, Cairns, Relich, Barnes, & Debus, 1984; Marsh, 1980; Relich & Way, 1992). Findings indicate that students with low self-concepts in mathematics are less likely to study mathematics at higher levels of education. Hence, many primary school teachers may not only possess negative attitudes toward mathematics and science, but may have chosen not to study the subjects in their last years of high school (Aiken, 1976; Sullivan, 1987). Another significant factor which needs to be investigated and, as yet, has received little attention by researchers, is the impact of calculators and computers. Technological changes in the curriculum will invariably be accompanied by changes in attitudes toward mathematics and science and toward the teaching of these subjects. This is particularly a concern for the education of preservice teachers given the high proportion of females who elect to teach at the primary school level and the research evidence which confirms that girls have poorer attitudes toward technology and lack confidence in its application, particularly in regard to computers (Ward, 1986). METHOD Participants Participants were preservice primary-school teachers enrolled in the Diploma of Education (DipEd) program and the first year of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) program at the University of Sydney. A total of 138 students participated in the first stage of the study with ages ranging from 17 years to 44 years. Consistent with the gender imbalance of primary school teachers, the majority (92%) of the students were female. Materials Data was collected via multiple techniques: an initial questionnaire, survey and interviews provided baseline profiles of students, while reflective journals provided evidence of attitudinal shifts as they occurred. During future stages of the study it is intended to include observational data from practicum experiences to provide evidence of attitudinal changes transferring to classroom practice. Data gathered via the questionnaire for stages one and two have been reported elsewhere (see Bobis and Cusworth, 1994). Hence, this paper will focus on qualitative information obtained from the interviews and reflective journals. Interviews were conducted with students who emerged from the questionnaire with extreme attitude and self-concept profiles. Hence, students were interviewed from the following categories: high self-concept for mathematics and/or science; low self-concept for mathematics and/or science; high attitude toward the teaching of mathematics and/or science; and low attitude toward the teaching of mathematics and/or science. The interviews included open-ended questions that were intended to probe for deeper understanding of the developmental experiences that are associated with attitudes toward mathematics and science/technology. The general area of investigation included: personal beliefs about the nature of mathematics and science and the use of technology as an aid to teaching these subjects; the formation of mathematics and science self-concepts; and the nature and quality of preservice teacher training and the possible implications for fostering desirable attitudes toward science and mathematics. A copy of the interview schedule is presented in Appendix A. Procedure Stage one of the investigation began in February 1993 when the questionnaire and general background information survey were administered to DipEd and BEd students prior to the commencement of their respective professional teacher education course components. Self- concept and attitude profiles were compiled from the questionnaire data for each participant. Students identified with extremely positive or extremely negative profiles were invited to be interviewed in the last few weeks of semester one. A total of twenty-two interviews were conducted at this stage. At the conclusion of the DipEd program (stage two of the study), follow-up interviews were conducted with DipEd students and the questionnaire was readministered. BEd students were not included in this stage of the study because they had not yet started the professional component of their program and it was considered unlikely that their attitudes toward the teaching of mathematics and science/technology at the primary school level would have changed sufficiently to warrant investigation. Stage three of the investigation began in February 1994 and involved only BEd students as they embarked on the first professional course component in their program. This component consisted of an introductory mathematics education course of 13 weeks duration in which each student was required to compile a journal based on weekly reflections after attending a lecture, tutorial and completing selected readings. The students have not yet undertaken any professional courses in science. The questionnaire was readministered at the conclusion of this first component and follow-up interviews are currently being organised. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A number of themes emerged from our initial analysis of the interview data that were also identified in the reflective journals. Five significant themes have been selected for presentation and discussion here. These themes were labelled generally as (a) perceptions of mathematics and science, (b) the role of significant others in attitude formation, (c) differences in perceptions of real maths/school maths, (d) confidence vs perceived ability, and (e) attitude toward technology. The following table presents excerpts from the interview transcripts and journals to illustrate each theme. Juxtaposing excerpts from the two columns - interview and reflective journal - often reveals the shifts in attitude that occurred for the majority of students. Since BEd students had not undertaken any science education courses during this component of their program, it was not possible to gather information about their reflections during such a course.