Dataset: Community of Inquiry as a Predictor of Pre-Service Teachers' Personal Mathematics Teaching Efficacy
Description
This dataset was collected to investigate the predictors of personal mathematics teaching efficacy among pre-service teachers, using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework as the guiding model. The dataset includes responses from pre-service primary mathematics teachers enrolled in a curriculum and pedagogy unit focusing on online learning experiences. Data were collected through the Community of Inquiry Survey (Arbaugh et al., 2008), which measures Teaching Presence, Social Presence, and Cognitive Presence. In addition, this dataset incorporates scores from the Personal Mathematics Teaching Efficacy (PMTE) subscale of the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI) (Enochs et al., 2000). The PMTE measures participants' confidence in their mathematics teaching abilities and includes responses on a 5-point Likert scale. Also included are scores from the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (AMARS) (Alexander & Martray, 1989), which evaluates participants' levels of anxiety related to mathematics teaching. The data fields cover demographic information, pre-and post-test efficacy scores, and correlations between COI elements and mathematics teaching efficacy.
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This dataset examines how the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework predicts personal mathematics teaching efficacy (PMTE) among 77 pre-service teachers in a mathematics curriculum and pedagogy unit. The study evaluates the roles of Teaching Presence, Social Presence, and Cognitive Presence, with consideration of mathematics anxiety. Instruments COI Survey (Arbaugh et al., 2008): A 34-item survey measuring Teaching, Social, and Cognitive Presences, used to assess how course structure and delivery affect engagement and perceived learning. PMTE Subscale (MTEBI; Enochs et al., 2000): A 13-item scale measuring teachers’ confidence in their ability to teach mathematics. AMARS (Alexander & Martray, 1989): A 25-item measure of mathematics anxiety, addressing test anxiety, numeral task anxiety, and course-related anxiety. Methodology and Workflow Data Collection Pre-Survey: Administered at the beginning of the unit to establish baseline PMTE and mathematics anxiety levels, as well as initial ratings for each COI presence. This survey captured participants' initial self-efficacy and anxiety, providing a reference point for subsequent measurements. Post-Survey: Conducted in the final week of the unit, the post-survey reassessed PMTE, mathematics anxiety, and COI presences to measure any changes after completing the unit. Surveys were administered online via the University’s LMS with ethics approval. Data Analysis SPSS Version 28: Initial analysis included paired t-tests to compare pre- and post-survey scores for PMTE and anxiety, ANOVA to examine differences across COI presences, and hierarchical regression to analyze predictors of PMTE. Hayes PROCESS Macro (v4.2): Mediation analyses explored indirect relationships among COI elements, specifically assessing Social Presence as a mediator between Teaching Presence and Cognitive Presence using 5,000 bootstrapped samples. References Alexander, L., & Martray, C. (1989). The development of an abbreviated version of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 22(3), 143-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.1989.12022923 Arbaugh, J. B., Cleveland-Innes, M., Diaz, S. R., Garrison, D. R., Ice, P., Richardson, J. C., & Swan, K. P. (2008). Developing a community of inquiry instrument: Testing a measure of the community of inquiry framework using a multi-institutional sample. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(3-4), 133-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2008.06.003 Enochs, L. G., Smith, P. L., & Huinker, D. (2000). Establishing factorial validity of the mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs instrument. School Science and Mathematics, 100(4), 194-202. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2000.tb17256.x