Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers’ learning styles and their Ability to Solve Mathematical Problems according to Polya's Strategy

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the learning styles of pre-service elementary school teachers at the University of Petra, and to assess their ability to solve mathematical problems according to Polya's strategy. This research was administered to 85 students who had completed a course on basic concepts in mathematics during the second semester of 2013-2014 academic years. To collect the data, the researcher employed two types of instruments: the Learning Style Inventory (LSQ), which was prepared by Honey & Mumford (1992), and the Mathematical Problems Solving Test (MPST) according to Polya's strategy, which was prepared by the researcher. The study concluded that students lack the ability to solve mathematical problems and that the level of students' ability to solve mathematical problems varies depending on the school year. In addition, the study concluded that students' ability to solve mathematical problems varies depending on their learning style. The most frequently preferred learning style was Activist-Reflector style, which showed better performance in solving math problems than other styles.

Keywords: Learning styles, math problem solving, G. Polya