Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
This study aimed to examine the change in the knowledge of pre-service middle school teachers regarding the logical structure of proof during their undergraduate education using the longitudinal research method. The theoretical framework regarding the logical structure of the proof was developed based on the context specified by Dreyfus and Hadas (1987), Lesseig (2016), and McCrone and Martin (2004). Additionally, a data collection tool was created using this theoretical framework. The study sample consisted of 53 pre-service middle school teachers. These candidates were enrolled in 16 courses that covered the nature of proof and the proof of various theorems in different semesters over a four-year (eight-semester). The study's data were collected using seven questions from the same candidates in the first and eighth semesters. The data were analysed by applying a dependent (related) groups t-test. As a result of the analysis, it was seen that there was no significant difference in the teacher candidates' knowledge of the logical structure of proof in the first and eighth semesters. In addition, this paper explores that teacher candidates in the 8th semester still had difficulties identifying a proposition into hypothesis and conclusion parts, knowing that experimental verification is not proof and that the conclusion part of the proposition should not be used when proving. Our study contributes to understanding the difficulties of the logical structure of proof that pre-service middle school teachers have and the challenges that resist change in undergraduate education. Documenting the change in teacher candidate's understanding of the logical structure of proofs can provide insights into improving teacher education.