Mathematical redemption and the Springboard Effect among pre-service primary teachers with negative mathematics experiences

In this study, we seek to answer the question: Why would someone want to become a teacher when their personal relationship with mathematics has been predominantly negative? To examine this question, we address the underexplored phenomenon of Mathematical Redemption. We characterise Mathematical Redemption through teachers’ emotions towards mathematics, drawing on the Cognitive Structure of Emotions Theory. We employ a qualitative methodology. Seventeen Mexican pre-service teachers participated by responding to four items designed to explore their emotions; subsequently, four participants were selected through purposive sampling to take part in structured interviews. The data were analysed from the perspectives of narrative inquiry and emotion-centred life history. The findings suggest that Mathematical Redemption constitutes a particular case of the Springboard Effect because painful experiences with mathematics became a driving force for teaching it differently. Our main finding is that the Springboard Effect provides an operational framework for identifying and analysing Mathematical Redemption in pre-service teachers.