Pre-service mathematics teachers' concept images of radian

Author: Akkoc, Hatice¹

Source: International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, Volume 39, Number 7, October 2008 , pp. 857-878(22)

Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd

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Abstract:

This study investigates pre-service mathematics teachers' concept images of radian and possible sources of such images. A multiple-case study was conducted for this study. Forty-two pre-service mathematics teachers completed a questionnaire, which aims to assess their understanding of radian. Six of them were selected for individual interviews on the basis of theoretical sampling. The data indicated that participants' concept images of radian were dominated by their concept images of degree. As the data in this study suggested, pre-service mathematics teachers were reluctant to accept trigonometric functions with the inputs of real numbers but rather they use value in degrees. More interestingly, they have two distinct images of π : π as an angle in radian and π as an irrational number.

Keywords: trigonometry; radian; concept image; pre-service mathematics teachers

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/00207390802054458

Affiliations: 1: Department of Secondary Mathematics and Science Education, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey

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