The Conceptions About Mathematics and Its Teaching Held by Primary Pre‐Service Teachers

ABSTRACT Teachers' beliefs, attitudes and confidence in the subject they are teaching play a crucial role in the quality of their teaching. In this study, we explored the conceptions about mathematics and its teaching held by 458 preservice primary teachers, where conceptions include beliefs about mathematics and society; attitudes toward mathematics; confidence in teaching mathematics and intentions to apply progressive approaches in the teaching of mathematics. Findings indicate that the preservice primary teachers in this study hold strong intentions to apply progressive approaches in their teaching. Regression analyzes indicated that participants' beliefs, attitudes and confidence predict these intentions in different ways and at a very low level overall.