Abstract:

Purpose: In the present study, the ability of middle school prospective mathematics teachers to subtract integers with counters and a number line was investigated. Design/Methodology/Approach: A case study method was used for the investigation. The research was conducted with 37 prospective teachers who were training in a state university’s undergraduate program on primary mathematics in northern Turkey. Four questions developed by the researcher for subtraction in integers were used as a data collection tool. The data of the study were analyzed in two stages. In the first stage, the answers of the prospective teachers were determined as right or wrong; subsequently, in the second stage, the mistakes that led to the wrong answers were determined. Findings: The prospective teachers were relatively successful with respect to both modeling types. The prospective teachers had the highest rates of success in modeling with counters, with a rate of approximately 97% in subtracting a negative integer from a positive integer ((+3) − (−5)), and the lowest rates of success in subtracting a negative integer from a negative integer, with a rate of around 89% for the operation ((−4) − (−7)). In modeling with the number line, the highest success rate was approximately 91% for subtracting a positive integer ((+2) − (+5)) from another positive integer, whereas the lowest success rate was around 86% for subtracting a negative integer from a negative integer in the operation of ((−4) − (−7)) Highlights: According to the results of the research, the prospective teachers were relatively successful in modeling the subtraction of integers using counters and a number line.

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