Popular conceptions of democracy in a mathematics teacher-education programme

Resumo

While the meaning of democracy remains multi-faceted centuries after the concept was first conceived of and subsequently formulated, democratic principles have spread to the extent of bringing about democratisation in all fields of education. Thus, with this study we sought to examine the popular conception of democracy in mathematics-education programmes at South African universities. A qualitative research approach and a case study research design were used in this study. Six mathematics teacher educators and 75 second- to fourth-year mathematics education student teachers from 3 different universities constitute the sample for the study. The findings from the study revealed that participants had a contested notion of democracy, since the majority understood it as involving deliberative participation, a shared decision-making process, as well as freedom of expression. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that participants were aware of what democracy should look like and were willing to live according to democratic tenets. This understanding was, however, greatly influenced by their experiences and way of life in a democratic South Africa.

Dados da obra

Tipo

Artigo

Periódico

South African Journal of Education, v. 43, n. 2, p. 1-10

Editora

Education Association of South Africa

Ano

2023 (2023-05)

Idioma

en

Palavras-chave

decision-making; democracy; freedom; mathematics education; participation; Foreign Countries; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Educators; Preservice Teachers; Knowledge Level; Beliefs; Experience; Democratic Values; Participative Decision Making; conceptions of democracy; mathematics teacher education; pre-service teachers; democratic principles; deliberative participation; shared decision-making; freedom of expression; democratization of education; South African universities

Temas

Formação de Professores de Matemática

DOI

10.15700/saje.v43n2a2200

ISSN

0256-0100, 2076-3433

Licença

cc-by

Acesso

Download disponível

Fontes

DOAJ — Directory of Open Access Journals; ERIC — Education Resources Information Center; OpenAlex

Na Biblioteca desde

01/10/2026 · verificada em 03/10/2026