The way adults with orientation to mathematics teaching cope with the solution of everyday real-world problems

• Autores: Avikam Gazit, Dorit Patkin
• Localización: International journal of mathematical education in science and technology, ISSN 0020-739X, Vol. 43, Nº. 2, 2012, págs. 167-176
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1080/0020739x.2011.592614
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• Resumen

  • The article aims to check the way adults, some who arepracticing mathematics teachers at elementary school, some who areacademicians making a career change to mathematics teachers at junior high school and the rest who arepre-service mathematics teachers at elementary school, cope with the solution of everyday real-world problems of buying and selling. The findings show that even adults with mathematical background tend to make mistakes in solving everydayreal-world problems. Only about 70% of the adults who have an orientation to mathematics solved the sample problemcorrectly. The lowest percentage of success was demonstrated by the academicians making a career change to junior high school mathematics teachers whereas the highest percentage of success was manifested by pre-service elementary school mathematics teachers. Moreover, the findings illustrate that life experience of the practicing mathematics teachers and, mainly, of the academicians making a career change, who were older than the pre-service teachers, did not facilitate the solution of such a real-world problem. Perhaps the reason resides in the process of mathematics teaching at school, which does not put an emphasis on the solution of everyday real-world problems.