Pre-service Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ (Mis)conceptions of Definitions, Classifications, and Inclusion Relations of Quadrilaterals

Gamze Baktemur 1, Rukiye Ayan Civak 2 * , Mine Isiksal Bostan 3
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1 Ministry of National Education, TURKEY
2 Izmir Democracy University, TURKEY
3 Middle East Technical University, TURKEY
* Corresponding Author
EUR J SCI MATH ED, Volume 9, Issue 4, pp. 183-198. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/11206
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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to examine pre-service middle school mathematics teachers’ (mis)conceptions related to definitions, classifications, and inclusion relations of convex quadrilaterals through a case study research design. The participants of the study were 20 pre-service middle school mathematics teachers who attended a must course, “The Methods of Teaching Mathematics” in a public university in Ankara, Turkey. Purposive sampling strategy was used to select the participants. The data were collected through an achievement test before and after taking the methods of teaching mathematics course. The findings of the study revealed that pre-service teachers had misconceptions in hierarchical classification of quadrilaterals, dual inclusion relations (e.g., rhombus-trapezoid), and difficulty in formulating minimal definitions of quadrilaterals before taking the course. However, the findings also indicated that the course had a positive impact for eliminating those misconceptions and supporting their conceptions. Several suggestions were made based on these findings.
Keywords: pre-service middle school mathematics teachers, definitions of quadrilaterals, classifications of quadrilaterals, inclusion relations of quadrilaterals

CITATION

Baktemur, G., Ayan Civak, R., & Isiksal Bostan, M. (2021). Pre-service Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ (Mis)conceptions of Definitions, Classifications, and Inclusion Relations of Quadrilaterals. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 9(4), 183-198. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/11206

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