Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Research in Education, Teaching and Learning
Year: 2025
DOI:
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Mathematical Writing in Teacher Education: Insights into Preservice Teachers’ Creation of Word Problems
Fatimah Ahmad
ABSTRACT:
In creative mathematical writing (MW), students engage in novel, original mathematical processes that are communicated through writing. Writing word problems (WPs) is a complicated task that requires coordinating multiple aspects to create a coherent, solvable WP that supports a mathematical goal. Creating WPs whether for assessment or instruction, is a crucial task in teaching and learning mathematics. This study explored elementary mathematics preservice teachers’ (PSTs) knowledge in creating alternative WPs by analyzing the characteristics of their written responses. Eight PSTs completed a task requiring them to create alternative WPs for given addition and division WPs. A total of 29 WPs were analyzed using the constant comparison method. As an example of the mathematical characteristics of the WPs, the data revealed that PSTs who changed the numbers in their created WPs did not pay attention to how these changes might affect the difficulty of the WP. Neglecting the properties of numbers and how computations are carried out was evident in several WPs. As for the linguistics characteristics, all PSTs created a context and a story that differed from the original WPs. However, several linguistic errors were noted, like missing key verbal cues that transformed a WP from having one solution to an open WP with multiple answers. Identifying aspects of PSTs’ knowledge in creating alternative WPs through MW, along with reporting examples of their work and errors, helps improve pedagogical practices and provides guidance for math educators in preparing PSTs.
keywords: addition, assessment, division, elementary, knowledge for teaching