Prospective Teachers' Reflections on the Inclusion of Mathematical Modelling During the Transition Period Between the Face-to-Face and Virtual Teaching Contexts

Abstract

Research in mathematics education highlights the importance of including modelling for the teaching of this subject. In 2020, this trend coexisted with a grave contingency situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic but which, despite its negative aspects, provided a realistic and authentic context for modelling. Given this situation, it is relevant to study which aspects of the teaching and learning process prospective teachers related to mathematical modelling in their reflections on its inclusion during the transition period between the face-to-face and virtual teaching contexts. To this end, we used the didactic suitability criteria construct, proposed by the onto-semiotic approach, as a theoretical reference. This is qualitative research of a naturalistic type, since we did not interfere in the Master’s Programme in Mathematics Teacher Education studied. We conducted a content analysis on 122 master’s degree final projects written during the 2019–2020 course and implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight the following results: (a) about 40% of the prospective teachers stated 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 mainly based on the epistemic, affective and ecological suitability criteria; and (c) 60% of the prospective teachers did not implement modelling, and we rule out that it was due to a lack of knowledge about this process or of a favourable context for modelling, but because they prioritised other aspects of the mathematical teaching and learning process, given the grave contingency situation.