Mathematics teacher candidates' beliefs and self-efficacy perceptions towards the use of origami: A mixed method study

Origami can be a creative tool for pre-service mathematics teachers and enhance learning by helping students concretise abstract mathematical concepts; therefore, using Origami in mathematics courses and pre-service teachers' perceptions can be an essential resource for developing teaching strategies. This study examines the effect of associating Origami activities with mathematics curriculum outcomes on pre-service mathematics teachers' beliefs and self-efficacy about using Origami in mathematics education. The study adopted a mixed research method; a one-group pretest-posttest experimental design and holistic phenomenology were used. Twenty-six pre-service mathematics teachers constituted the study group. The results showed that associating Origami activities with mathematics curriculum outcomes had a significant effect on pre-service teachers' beliefs and self-efficacy towards the use of Origami in mathematics education and a 5-stage change process regarding Origami occurred in the participants during this course: Recognition and association, meaning attribution, assimilation, comparison and accommodation. These results show that pre-service teachers' beliefs and self-efficacy towards using Origami as a tool in teaching mathematics changed positively. At the end of the study, suggestions such as giving more space to Origami in teacher education programs, conducting related research, and developing educational materials for pre-service teachers are provided.