Pre-Service Lower Secondary School Mathematics Teachers’ Ability of Drawing the Symmetry of a Figure according to a Line

Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Pamukkale University, Turkey

^* Corresponding author: emutlu@pau.edu.tr

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to investigate pre-service lower secondary school mathematics teachers’ ability of drawing a given figure’s symmetry according to the lines in various positions. The sampling of the study comprised eight pre-service mathematics teachers who were attending a mathematics education department and willing to participate in the study. The criterion sampling methods was used. Six open-ended questions were asked to determine the ability of the prospective teachers to take the symmetry of a given figure according to the lines in different situations. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with the participants on their definitions of symmetry and symmetry according to a line. The data of the study were the prospective teachers’ drawing papers and the video recordings of the interviews including the definitions of the concepts of symmetry and symmetry according to a line. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the prospective teachers were successful in drawing the symmetry of a given figure according to the vertical, horizontal and oblique lines, and they used an informal language to define the concepts of symmetry and symmetry according to a line.