Prospective Teachers’ Reflection on the Inclusion of Mathematical Modelling in Three Teaching Contexts

Abstract

In this article, we synthesise and discuss the main results of a research, based on two studies previously conducted by the authors and their methodological ongoing, that covered three academic years of a master’s programme for secondary and baccalaureate education mathematics teachers, whose objective was to analyse the aspects of the mathematical teaching and learning process that prospective teachers prioritised in their reflections on the inclusion of modelling during their educational internship experiences, which were developed in three different teaching contexts due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions. We analysed these reflections with the Didactic Suitability Criteria construct, proposed by the Onto-Semiotic Approach, which was the same tool used by the prospective teachers to guide the reflection on their own practice. We followed qualitative research methodology from an interpretative paradigm and with a naturalistic approach, since we did not intervene in the Master’s Programme in Mathematics Teacher Education studied. We performed a content analysis on 337 Master’s Degree Final Projects prepared during the academic years 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022, with educational internship experiences developed in virtual, hybrid, and face-to face teaching contexts respectively. We highlight the following results: (a) around one third of the prospective teachers affirmed that they implemented modelling in their didactic units and reflected on its inclusion; (b) in their reflections, the prospective teachers positively assessed the inclusion of modelling based on the epistemic and ecological suitability criteria. We conclude with some reflections on the impact of the three teaching contexts on the implementation of modelling.