THE IMPACT OF LESSON STUDY ON Pre-service Kindergarten Teachers’ Mathematics Teaching Anxi

Abstract

In today’s society teachers are expected to have adequate knowledge and skills to teach effectively even before graduation. Such expectations can cause anxiety in teachers, especially in inexperienced ones. Lesson Study is recognized as an effective tool for providing high-quality learning experiences for future teachers which enables them to learn from engaging in and observing teaching in contrast to traditional pedagogy courses. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lesson Study on mathematics teaching anxiety of pre-service kindergarten teachers. The quasi-experimental design with two parallel groups was used. The sample consisted of 49 students divided into control (27) and experimental group (22). The students in the experimental group followed an adjusted Lesson Study design, while the control group followed the traditional way of teaching practice. The results showed that there was no significant difference in mathematics teaching anxiety scores between groups. However, there was a significant difference in the findings referring to ability to control the class favoring the experimental group. The findings of the current researchers’ study cannot be generalized due to certain limitations (small sample size, quasi-experimental design). The results can be used as support to encourage further investigations of the effects of Lesson Study in teacher education programmes.