Pre-service mathematics teachers’ perceptions and knowledge on visual-genetic interpretation of inverse trigonometric functions
Annotatsiya
This study examines pre-service teachers’ perceptions and knowledge regarding the visual-genetic interpretation of inverse trigonometric functions (ITF). The visual-genetic approach provides opportunities for exploring the origin, modification, and graphical and geometrical interpretations of mathematical concepts. Using a convenience sampling technique, a sample of 65 third- and fourth-year prospective mathematics teachers (23 males and 42 females) was selected from the faculty of education in Fergana, Uzbekistan. To collect data on prospective teachers’ perceptions and conceptual knowledge related to the visual-genetic interpretation of ITF, a perception questionnaire and an achievement test were employed. The collected data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that prospective teachers perceive the ITF as boring, abstract, and difficult to learn, and that they possess limited conceptual knowledge of the fundamental concepts. As a result, over 50% of the participants were unable to build and recreate the proper mental structures required for gaining a meaningful understanding that would allow them to answer crucial basic inverse trigonometry challenges. To provide high-quality mathematics education for pre-service teachers who would shape our future in the age of artificial Intelligence, teacher educators needed to reconsider their instructional techniques and ensure that perception was well grounded and that understanding and conceptualization were firmly and securely established.