Investigating Pre-service Elementary Teachers’ Mathematical Power

Abstract

Mathematical power affects in developing pre-service teachers’ ability to use the information to think creatively, solve problems, and reflects critically on challenges. However, concerns regarding the low mathematical power held by pre-service teachers have raised serious inquiries about the efficiency of teacher education programs. This study aimed to investigate pre-service elementary teachers’ mathematical power using a mixed-method research design. The participants included 71 pre-service elementary teachers at a university in Saudi Arabia. Quantitative data were collected using a mathematical power test, and interviews were used to collect qualitative data. The findings showed that pre-service teachers had a low level of mathematical power, and there were three factors that contributed to the pre-service elementary teachers’ low level of mathematical power.