Abstract
Research in Didactics of Mathematics has highlighted the importance of including modelling for the teaching of this subject. In 2021, this trend coexisted with the return to face-to-face teaching, suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Given this situation, it is relevant to study which aspects of the teaching and learning process prospective teachers related to mathematical modelling in their reflections on its inclusion during the transition period between the virtual and face-to-face teaching contexts. To this end, we used the Didactic Suitability Criteria construct, proposed by the Onto-Semiotic Approach. This is qualitative research of a naturalistic type, since we did not interfere in the Master’s Programme for Mathematics Teacher Education in study. We conducted a content analysis on 117 Master’s Degree Final Projects submitted during the 2020–2021 academic year and implemented during the return to face-to-face teaching. We highlight the following results: (a) about 35% of the future teachers stated that they implemented modelling in their didactic units and reflected on its inclusion; (b) on their reflections, the future teachers positively assessed the inclusion of modelling based on the epistemic and ecological suitability criteria; (c) almost 65% of the future teachers did not implement modelling, and we rule out that it was due to a lack of knowledge about this process or of a favourable context for modelling, but because they prioritised other aspects of the mathematical teaching and learning process, due to the return to face-to-face teaching.
Content analysis; Didactic suitability criteria; Master’s degree final project; Mathematical modelling; Teacher reflection
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