Elementary teachers' attitudes towards mathematics and their preparation to teach mathematics

The United States currently is facing challenges to its economic stability because of many changes in the global economy. The American standard of living has become more dependent on a knowledge-based economy that has superseded an industrially-based economy. A knowledge based economy requires technically educated workers. Other economically advanced countries have knowledge-based economies that provide employment opportunities for their technically educated citizens. In the past, many technically educated workers from abroad helped to supply the needs of American industry but now they are being recruited at home. American students are showing less interest in studying and/or excelling in mathematics, science, and technology. The number of technically educated workers needed to fill research and development opportunities are increasing while the percentage of American college students majoring in mathematics, science, and technology is dropping. American students, when compared to those in other economically advanced nations, score well below in the subjects of mathematics and science.;This study investigated the attitudes of elementary teachers, the primary influence on young children, towards mathematics. A survey of elementary schools teachers was used to compare their demographic characteristics of gender, age, years of teaching experience, grade level taught, and number of college mathematics courses completed to their attitudes about enjoyment of mathematics, motivation in mathematics, the importance of mathematics, fear of mathematics, and preparation to teach elementary mathematics. Descriptive statistics and correlations were used to analyze the data from 349 elementary teachers. The elementary teachers strongly agreed that they found enjoyment in computing mathematical problems and felt that mathematics is important. The teachers also agreed that they are motivated to learn more mathematics. Some of the teachers admitted to a fear of mathematics. Small correlations were found with the enjoyment of mathematics and grade taught and the number of mathematics courses completed in college. A similar small correlation was found between the teachers' motivation to study more mathematics and the number of mathematics courses completed. No significant correlation was evident for the teachers' feelings for the importance of mathematics with any of the demographic data. A small correlation was found between the fear of mathematics and teacher gender, and the number of mathematics courses completed. The grade level taught and the number of courses completed showed a small correlation with teachers feeling more prepared to teach elementary mathematics.