I want to be a math teacher?! Some reflections

Abstract

This article aims to problematize and understand the main motivations, challenges, and perspectives of a group of students entering the Mathematics Degree course at a federal university in southern Brazil. The research had the participation of thirteen students and took place during the first semester of 2022 and after its closure, in the context of the subject Introduction to Mathematics Education. It was decided to integrate qualitative and quantitative approaches, seeking to better understand the proposed problem and expand the scope of the research. For this purpose, the data production instruments were two questionnaires, a writing of a letter, and an interview. The results indicate that from the thirteen participants, eleven intend to continue in the course and become mathematics teachers. The two students who do not intend to continue in the course perform paid activities and mathematics was not their initial course option and are among those with the worst academic performance. Finally, considering that the disciplines in the specific area of Mathematics have the greatest disapproval and that students who perform paid activities have the worst academic performance, it is fundamental to pay attention, study and that these data are considered in the elaboration of the pedagogical projects of the course and in the plans classroom, especially given the continuity and completion of the course by students, as well as the quality of teacher training.

Mathematics Teaching; Teacher Training; Undergraduate Course