Lived Experiences of Farhangian University Graduates in Recognizing Challenges and Effective Strategies in Reducing Fourth Grade Elementary Mathematical Misconceptions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master's degree in elementary education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Sciences, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The overall purpose of this study is to analyze the lived experiences of graduates of Farhangian University in terms of the challenges in recognizing the fourth elementary mathematical misconceptions and effective strategies to reduce it. The research was carried out as a qualitative framework using phenomenological strategy that its data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews using an objective oriented method and the theoretical saturation criterion. Study Participants were 10 teachers who were graduated from Fars Farhangian University and had experiences of teaching mathematics in the fourth grade of elementary. To analyze the information obtained from this research, the thematic coding method was used. Based on the research findings, 247 basic themes were obtained, which were first classified into 19 categories as level 1 organizing themes and then into 2 categories of Challenges and Strategies as level 2 organizing themes. The results of the study indicated that in order to identifying misconceptions and finding strategies to improve them, it is necessary to hold workshops in the university and make better use of internship.

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