Problem-Posing Skills and Thinking Styles of Preservice Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the problem-posing skills of preservice teachers and to examine the relationshipbetween their problem-posing skills, thinking styles, and academic achievement. A total of 32 senior preservice middleschool mathematics teachers posed a problem, and they completed the thinking style inventory. A rubric for evaluationof problem-posing skills was used to analyze the problems with a qualitative approach. It was found that the problemposing skills of preservice teachers were high, but they were set to pose routine problems. It was found that there was nosignificant relationship not only between problem-posing skills and thinking styles but also between academic achievementand problem-posing skills of preservice teachers. The findings also showed that academic achievement was significantly,positively, and moderately related to executive, hierarchical, and internal thinking styles, whereas it was significantly,negatively, and moderately related to external thinking style.