How do pre-service mathematics teachers organize information sources in the webquest?

Abstract

Purpose: WebQuests are employed for many different instructional aims by offering students to take an active role and encouraging their critical thinking skills to construct their own meaning about an inquiry. The purpose of the study was to explore pre-service mathematics teachers’ decisions about the organization of information sources in which students are supported to think critically for school algebra using WebQuests. Method: The case study approach was utilized in this study. The participants were pre-service mathematics teachers attending a Bachelor’s program in mathematics teaching in middle school (N = 48). The WebQuest design was addressed to prompt pre-service teachers to connect mathematics with technology. The framework of critical thinking skills developed by Jonassen (2000) was used for data analysis. Findings: The findings of the study revealed that among the general critical thinking skill categories, analyzing was mostly observed, followed by connecting and evaluating. The results highlighted the importance of teacher education programs and teacher educators to focus on the organization of information sources in WebQuest and addressed how pre-service teachers approach the WebQuest process and encourage students to think critically. Implications for Research and Practice: The present study emphasized the importance of a WebQuest facilitating the transformation from teacher-led teaching to student-directed learning via changing teaching patterns.