Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs about Problem-Solving in Culturally Diverse Classrooms

Abstract

Background: The beliefs from the area of mathematics teacher training allow us to understand the function that future education professionals assign to mathematical activities, including problem solving, and how in this type of activities it is possible to incorporate the cultural knowledge of the students, when the teaching process takes place in culturally diverse classrooms. Objective: To analyze the beliefs of mathematics undergraduate students from a university in the department of Nariño about problem solving and cultural knowledge in culturally diverse classrooms. Design: A descriptive methodological complementarity research design was used, since this gives the possibility of understanding and contrasting the quantitative and qualitative information. Scenario and participants: The sample consisted of 60 undergraduate students in mathematics. Data collection and analysis: The information was collected through a Likert-type questionnaire with 35 statements and 3 open questions, which were analyzed in the SPPS 25.0 and Atlas TI 9.0 software. Results: Favorable beliefs are evidenced in the participants to work on solving problems in culturally diverse classrooms and during the development of this activity to integrate the cultural knowledge of students. Conclusions: The need to improve mathematics teacher training curricula to develop the teaching process in culturally diverse classrooms is exposed.