Examining the mathematical discourse development of prospective middle school mathematics teachers within the scope of the clinical counseling model

We can define mathematics as numbers, shapes, and the relationships between them. However, there is no single agreed-upon definition of mathematics and no single meaning. On the other hand, a researcher, teacher, or student anywhere in the world can understand mathematics even if they do not speak the same language because mathematics is a language with its own terminology, its own concepts, symbols, and words. Therefore, mathematics is taught and learned through discourse. In this study, we examined the development of mathematical discourse by pre-service secondary school mathematics teachers who are in the first stage of their profession within the scope of the Clinical Supervision Model (CSM). We used a qualitative research method and a case study as a research design. Accordingly, the participants of the study consisted of three pre-service teachers studying in the final year of secondary school mathematics teaching and taking the Teaching Practice-I, the students in the class where the teaching practice courses took place, and the mentor teacher and the mentor instructor who were carrying out the role of counseling and guiding the pre-service teachers within the scope of the CSM in this process. The study covered 8 weeks of the 12-week teaching practicum process. We collected data through observations, interviews, video and audio recordings, and field notes. The CSM and the theoretical framework of mathematical discourse development guided the analysis process of the research. we preferred descriptive analysis and discourse analysis approaches to analyze the data obtained in the research process. We observed that "teacher" and "teacher-class" discourse types were more intense in the first weeks, while "student-student" and "teacher-student" discourse types were more intense in the last weeks. In addition, the most preferred discourse type was "student-student" discourse. As a result of the counseling and guidance provided to the pre-service teachers within the scope of the CSM, we observed that the use of "teacher" and "teacher-classroom" discourse types decreased in the last weeks while the use of "student-student" and "teacher-student" discourse types increased in the last weeks. In this context, we concluded that pre-service mathematics teachers' mathematical discourse improved within the scope of the CSM. We compared and discussed the results of the study with the literature and made key recommendations for future studies and researchers.