An Exploration of Preservice Teachers Educational Values of Mathematics in Relation to Gender and Attitudes toward Mathematics in Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated educational values of mathematics in relation to gender and attitudes toward mathematics among 480 Nigerian preservice mathematics teachers from four universities in Southwest, Nigeria using the quantitative research method within the blueprint of the descriptive survey design. Data collected were analysed using the descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation and inferential statistics of independent samples t-test, Pearson moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that preservice mathematics teachers showed high level of educational value of mathematics. There were significant possible correlations among preservice mathematics teachers’ practical value, aesthetic value, cultural value, social value, moral value, disciplinary value, recreational value, and attitudes toward mathematics. While gender differences in some dimensions of educational value of mathematics (practical value, disciplinary value, social value, and cultural value) are no longer important and are declining there are subtle gender differences in attitudes toward mathematics and educational values of mathematics in this study. In addition, 73.7% of the variance in preservice teachers’ attitudes toward mathematics was accounted for by the eight predictor variables (gender, practical or utilitarian value, disciplinary value, cultural value, social value, moral value, aesthetic value and recreational value) taken together. Based on this baseline study, it was thus, recommended that future studies in Nigeria should investigate the educational value of mathematics of in-service teachers with varied ethnicity and socio-economic background so as to generalise the results of this study.