Abstract:

Mathematical modeling has a positive impact on the students’ mathematical thinking skills, and the teacher’s role in the process of developing these skills is great. Teachers' self-sufficiency beliefs about mathematical modeling skills are an important factor affecting teachers' performance towards modeling in the classroom environment. In this context, the purpose of this research is to determine the levels of self-confidence in mathematical modeling of the candidates for primary school mathematical teachers and to study the beliefs of self-confidence in mathematical modeling in terms of gender and class level variables. In the study, a visual scan model was used. In this study, 206 primary mathematics teachers candidates who studied in the Primary Mathematics Teaching Program of a state university in the 2017-2018 educational year participated. The research data was collected through the "Mathematical Modeling Equality Scale". Data analysis has used ANOVA and T-Test. The research finds that primary mathematics teachers’ candidates have a medium level of self-evidence in mathematical modeling. Research findings show that the candidates for primary school mathematics teachers' self-sufficiency beliefs in mathematical modeling do not differ significantly according to the gender variable. In addition, it has been determined that the candidates for primary mathematics teachers in mathematical modeling have significantly differentiated their beliefs of self-sufficiency according to class level. The findings obtained show that the candidates for a fourth-class primary mathematics teacher's mathematical modeling self-sufficiency beliefs are significantly higher compared to the first-class. According to the research findings, it is recommended that teachers in teaching programs include teachers candidates in practices in which they can develop the beliefs of self-sufficiency in mathematical modeling. Furthermore, more detailed data obtained by analyzing the mathematical modeling beliefs of authenticity by qualitative methods can be done. In the research to be done, primary mathematics teacher candidates may be studied in mathematical modeling self-sufficiency sources of belief.

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