RUME 27
2025
Alexandria, Virginia
The Impact of an Upper Division Inquiry-Oriented Content Course on Prospective Teachers: Embracing a Critical Stance
Page: 346
In this study, we analyze interviews with prospective secondary school teachers focused on how an upper division inquiry-oriented content course influenced their beliefs about learning and teaching mathematics. In particular, we examine how students describe their experiences in this course and the extent to which (and why) students see themselves using an inquiry-oriented instructional approach in their future teaching. Using thematic analysis, we found that the ways prospective teachers described their experiences in the course aligned closely with the four pillars of Inquiry-Based Mathematics Education, and the course empowered students to embrace a critical stance to self-reflect on their experiences and to raise their awareness of their agency to change things (for the better) through their own actions and future forms of instruction.