PERCEPCIJE ČETVOROSTRANIKA STUDENATA STUDIJSKOG PROGRAMA ZA OBRAZOVANjE PROFESORA RAZREDNE NASTAVE

Abstract

This research aimed to examine pre-service elementary school teachers’ perceptions on quadrilaterals and their classification. For this purpose, a sample of 63 third and fourth year students of two faculties of education in Bosnia and Herzegovina was tested. Based on the feedback, the researcher was able to set up a hypothesis that this population has significant difficulties with determining quadrilaterals and their classification. This study leads to the conclu- sion that elementary school students’ misconceptions about this geometric figure are caused by their teachers’ misconceptions. Students’ underdeveloped geometric thinking (’Level 1’ by Van Hiele’s classification) is the result of their teach- ers’ poor mathematical and didactic knowledge and modestly developed skills to understand the process of teaching and learning. Thus, the problems of teaching geometry in primary schools should be perceived by shifting the focus from students to their teachers.