Pre-service primary school teachers' mathematical beliefs and their mathematics teaching anxiety

The aim of the current study is to analyze the relationship between elementary school teachers' anxiety and beliefs about teaching mathematics and mathematical problem solving. Moreover, it has been researched whether mathematic teaching anxiety, mathematics learning and teaching beliefs, mathematical problem solving beliefs have any significant difference in terms of gender and grade. The survey method has been used to collect data from 250 third and fourth grade elementary school pre-service teachers studying at Afyon Kocatepe University. Teaching Mathematics Anxiety Scale developed by Peker (2006) was used to identify pre-service teachers' anxiety about teaching mathematics. Teaching and Learning Mathematics Beliefs Scale by Kayan, Haser and Işıksal Bostan (2013) was used to identify their teaching and learning mathematics beliefs. Mathematical Problem Solving Beliefs Scale developed by Kloosterman and Stage (1992) and adapted to Turkish by Hacıömeroğlu (2011) was used to identify their mathematical problem solving beliefs in the analysis of the data; t-test was performed for independent samples in order to identify the differences between these three scales related to gender and grade. The correlation analysis was performed to identify the relationship between elementary pre-service teachers' teaching and learning mathematics and mathematical problem solving. According to the results of the study, it has been understood that there is a significant difference at elementary pre-service teachers' anxiety about teaching mathematics in terms of gender variable, and female candidates have higher anxiety than male candidates. It has been identified that there isn't any significant difference between elementary school pre-service teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning mathematics and beliefs about mathematical problem solving in terms of gender variable. The data obtained from the three scales didn't show any significant difference in terms of grade variable. Furthermore, when the results of correlation analysis were investigated, it has been found that there is a significant, negative relationship between elementary pre-service teachers' teaching and learning mathematics anxiety and beliefs. Also, it has been identified that there is a significant, moderate and negative relationship between their teaching mathematics anxiety and mathematical problem solving beliefs. Keywords: Anxiety, Mathematics Teaching Anxiety, Belief, Mathematical Belief, Pre-service Primary School Teacher.