Contextualization of the Relationship of Instructional Strategies to Preservice Teachers’ Math Anxiety and Achievement

Abstract: The findings presented herein report the results of the qualitative portion of a sequential, convergent mixed methods study that focused on the effects of two instructional methods, Direct Instruction (DI) and Inquiry-based Learning (IBL), on pre-service teachers’ achievement and self-reported mathematics-related anxiety over the course of a semester. These qualitative findings are intended to add contextualization to the previously reported findings of the quasi-experimental phase of the investigation which found no statistically significant difference between groups in content mastery but found a statistically significant difference over the course of the semester in self-reported levels of mathematics-related anxiety between students who experienced the two different instructional methods. Implications are discussed.