Prospective teachers' perseverance in collaborative mathematical problem solving supported by technology: A case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30606/absis.v9i2.4635Keywords:
Perseverance, Prospective math teachers, Math problem solving, Technology in problem solvingAbstract
Perseverance in problem solving related to the decisions individuals make when encountering situations in which solutions are not immediately evident. This is a case study that aiming to describe the perseverance of four prospective teachers in solving two open-ended problems, each in geometry and statistics, with the option to use technology. Collaborative problem-solving sessions were video-recorded and analyzed using the frameworks of perseverance as a collective enterprise and the phases of perseverance in a problem-solving process. An open-ended questionnaire was administered after the task to explore participants’ reasons for their problem-solving behaviors. The findings indicate that the group demonstrated all indicators of collective perseverance in the statistics problem, including expressing uncertainty, questioning the efficiency of strategies, clarifying task expectations, and seeking technological support. In contrast, they did not seek technological support when working on the geometry problem. From the perspective of perseverance phases, the group did not enter an additional-attempt phase in the geometry task, whereas two additional-attempt phases occurred in the statistics task. Technology played an important role in supporting perseverance during extended exploration and in refining the resulting solutions. Questionnaire responses also show that calculators and GeoGebra were perceived as helpful, while AI-based tools were not used because participants felt capable of managing the tasks independently.
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