The goal of this study is to examine pre-service elementary teachers' understanding of the necessity of deductive reasoning for proving the truth of mathematical propositions.. The study population consisted of 240 female preservice elementary teachers in their fifth semester at a campus of Farhangian University. Among them, 80 participants were voluntarily selected as the sample. The data collection instrument was a researcher-developed questionnaire adapted from Healey and Hoyles (2000). The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts in mathematics education, and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, which was found to be 0.79, indicating an acceptable level of reliability. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistical methods.The results of this study revealed that a majority of the students encountered difficulties in recognizing the necessity of deductive reasoning. Specifically, some pre-service teachers exhibited a limited understanding of deductive reasoning within the context of mathematical proofs in school settings. Moreover, they often prioritized the appearance of an argument or proof over its substantive content. Moreover, based on Harel and Sowder's model, it can be stated that some of the students participating in this study exhibit different proof schemes in different situations. That is, the reasoning they choose to be convinced of the truth of a mathematical statement differs from the reasoning they use to convince others of the same statement. The findings of this research underscore the imperative of emphasizing the process of deductive reasoning in mathematics education courses for pre-service elementary teachers.
Kolahdouz, F. , Ebrahimzadeh, A. and Kashefi, H. (2025). Examining the understanding of elementary school teachers about the necessity of deductive reasoning in mathematics. Theory and Practice in Teachers Education, (), -. doi: 10.48310/itt.2025.17539.1019
MLA
Kolahdouz, F. , , Ebrahimzadeh, A. , and Kashefi, H. . "Examining the understanding of elementary school teachers about the necessity of deductive reasoning in mathematics", Theory and Practice in Teachers Education, , , 2025, -. doi: 10.48310/itt.2025.17539.1019
HARVARD
Kolahdouz, F., Ebrahimzadeh, A., Kashefi, H. (2025). 'Examining the understanding of elementary school teachers about the necessity of deductive reasoning in mathematics', Theory and Practice in Teachers Education, (), pp. -. doi: 10.48310/itt.2025.17539.1019
CHICAGO
F. Kolahdouz , A. Ebrahimzadeh and H. Kashefi, "Examining the understanding of elementary school teachers about the necessity of deductive reasoning in mathematics," Theory and Practice in Teachers Education, (2025): -, doi: 10.48310/itt.2025.17539.1019
VANCOUVER
Kolahdouz, F., Ebrahimzadeh, A., Kashefi, H. Examining the understanding of elementary school teachers about the necessity of deductive reasoning in mathematics. Theory and Practice in Teachers Education, 2025; (): -. doi: 10.48310/itt.2025.17539.1019
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