Investigating Prospective Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ Knowledge of Angle

Abstract

In this study, the researchers investigated prospective middle school mathematics teachers’ knowledge of angle. For this purpose, data were collected from 151 prospective middle school teachers who were enrolled in a geometry course offered in the spring semester in a university located in Southern Turkey. In data collection, the participants were given an instrument in which they were asked to define and draw fundamental geometric shapes. Within the scope of this paper, the data involving participants’ definitions and drawings of angle was qualitatively analyzed. The findings indicated that in general the measure and the interior region of angle were identified in participants’ drawings and their definitions were in parallel to their drawings. In many of the definitions, they defined angle as the measure, region, area, or slope. Additionally, it was found out that the mathematical language used in the definitions was problematic.

Keywords

• Açı, Açı çizimi, Kavramsal bilgi, Kavram tanımı