Psychological Analysis of the Competence of a Primary School Teacher in Working on Students' Subject Mistakes

Abstract

The results of an empirical study of the competence of teachers of primary general education in working on students' subject mistakes are presented. The study sample consisted of 2,603 teachers engaged in the implementation of primary general education programs from 7 subjects of the Russian Federation. The sample of the study is referential to the general population of primary school teachers according to the criteria of gender, age, teaching experience, level of education, qualifications, implemented educational program. To study the competence of primary school teachers in working on subject mistakes, the cases were developed on the material of the courses "Mathematics" and "Natural science". Each case included the description of the problem in solving which the student made a mistake. The teacher was asked to identify the mistake made, identify the original ideas of the students behind them and suggest a way to work with it. The results obtained indicate the low competence of primary school teachers in working on subject mistakes. The initial ideas of students do not act as a means of working on mistakes and the starting point of pedagogical work on the formation of scientific concepts. The article shows the importance of the teacher's ability to identify the initial subject representations and their significance in the formation of students' subject thinking.