PROBLEMS AND NEEDS IN PRESERVICE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS PROGRAMS IN THAILAN

Purpose. The study was designed to identify and describe the preservice education of elementary school teachers of mathematics, to identify the problems and needs of those teachers, to identify how well the mathematics faculty members understood those problems and needs, and to formulate recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of the mathematics teacher training curriculum.;Procedure. A questionnaire was designed to obtain the following information from the teachers: (1) personal data; (2) professional education; (3) professional experience; and (4) problems and needs in teaching mathematics.;Information obtained from 239 returned questionnaires (100%), was tabulated and the data were examined using the Analysis of Variance.;Findings. (1) Slightly over 45% of the respondents used traditional teaching methods. (2) Approximately 54% of the respondents were involved in departmentalized classroom organizations. (3) Of the respondents, 77.87% had whole class instruction in mathematics teaching. (4) Elementary school teachers most often sought assistance in teaching mathematics from their mathematics chairperson. (5) The most frequently listed need by respondents was assistance in prescribing mathematics materials to meet the needs of individual pupils. (6) The use of the problem solving teaching technique was the instructional area in which the respondents most often indicated they needed assistance. (7) The respondents reported a need for further information concerning sets. (8) The majority of respondents ranked methods and techniques of instruction as the most desirable preservice topic. (9) Respondents reported that concrete objects were the most beneficial instructional materials in teaching mathematics. (10) Of the respondents, 50.63% indicated that elementary school teachers were inadequately prepared to teach mathematics.;Generalizations and Conclusions. (1) Local teacher training institutions should encourage elementary school teachers to return to the teacher training institutions or the university and enroll in mathematics content and methods courses. The teacher training institution and the university should make available both mathematics content and methods courses for the elementary school teacher. (2) Local school administrators should provide the opportunity for elementary school teachers in their school systems to become familiar with grouping and the individualized approach in teaching mathematics. (3) College consultants should encourage teachers to share ideas concerning the teaching of mathematics. (4) Provisions should be made to allow teachers to become more proficient in meeting the needs of the individual pupils.;Recommendations for Further Study. The following recommendations for further study resulted from the findings of this study: (1) A study should be conducted to determine the reasons modern and combination teaching methods were not utilized by more elementary school teachers. (2) An investigation should be initiated to find means to acquaint elementary school teachers with team teaching and open learning. (3) A study should be conducted to find means to acquaint elementary school teachers with instructional organizations other than whole class instruction. (4) A study should be conducted to determine what effect the problems and needs, which were ranked by the respondents in this study, have on their teaching of elementary mathematics.