Italian Primary School prospective teachers beliefs about knowledge construction: a case study about models

Abstract

In this paper we discuss a study on the approaches to modeling of students of the 4-year Primary School Teacher program at the University of Palermo, Italy. The answers to a specially designed questionnaire are analyzed on the basis of an a-priori analysis made using a general scheme of reference on the epistemology of mathematics and physics. The study is performed by using quantitative data analysis methods, i.e. analysis of implicative and similarity trees.