Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine anxiety levels of pre-service mathematics teachers toward teaching mathematics in real classroom setting, regarding both gender and grade levels. Participants consisted of 120 pre-service elementary mathematics teachers; sophomores, juniors, and seniors, studying in a middle sized public university located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Data were collected during the spring semester of 2011–2012 academic years. Participants completed a questionnaire composed of 31 items, responding on a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all true of me) to 7 (very true of me). Quantitative techniques were used for data analysis. The results indicated that male and female pre-service teachers did not significantly differed from each other based on their teaching anxiety levels. However, there was a significant difference in anxiety levels when the participants’ grade levels were concerned. Specifically, senior per-service teachers’ anxiety level was significantly lower than both sophomore and junior pre-service teachers’ anxiety levels. Nevertheless, there was no statistical difference between sophomore and junior pre-service teachers’ anxiety levels. Several possible reasons were discussed regarding the outcomes.