Document Type

Honors Thesis

Publication Date

Spring 5-2016

Abstract

Self-efficacy for teaching mathematics has an effect on students’ math achievement (Bandura, 1997; Stipek, Givvin, Salmon, & MacGyvers, 2001). It is therefore important that teachers have high self-efficacy for teaching mathematics. The purpose of this study was to discover if the University of Maine’s College of Education and Human Development’s teacher education program is doing enough to help elementary education majors feel confident in their ability to teach mathematics at the kindergarten through eighth grade levels. A modified version of the “Self-Efficacy for Teaching Mathematics Instrument”, or SETMI (McGee &Wang) was administered to one hundred and eleven elementary education majors at the University of Maine. The results show that participants’ self-efficacy beliefs for teaching mathematics were not influenced by required math courses or required field placements. However, participants’ self-efficacy beliefs for teaching mathematics were influenced by enjoyment for math and the belief in the importance of math in every-day life. This study suggests that there is more that the University’s teacher education program could be doing in order to help elementary education majors feel confident in their ability to teach mathematics.

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