An examination of pre-service mathematics teachers’ course-taking, beliefs, and preferred assessment practices

This study uses structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships between pre-service teachers’ (PSTs’) course-taking history, beliefs about mathematics, beliefs about students’ mathematical ability, and opinions about (1) how student errors should be addressed when they occur and (2) how much emphasis should be given to various forms of assessment. The results indicate that some types of courses are strongly associated with beliefs about the nature of mathematics. Specifically, PSTs who have taken more mathematics courses are more likely to see mathematics as a set of rules. PSTs’ views about mathematics strongly predict their beliefs about who can do high-level mathematics, how they think student errors should be addressed, and which forms of assessment they think are most appropriate. Implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed.