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Abstract

Mathematical reasoning is a fundamental competence for prospective mathematics teachers, as it underpins their ability to interpret, extend, and respond to students’ mathematical thinking. However, there is a documented gap in how these reasoning skills evolve across the stages of teacher education, particularly in relation to the instructional experiences and learning environments provided throughout the teacher education program. Existing research has not sufficiently addressed how reasoning abilities develop over time within the same academic trajectory, creating a need to explore longitudinal variations and instructional influences. This study investigates the differences of mathematical reasoning skills—specifically conjecturing, generalizing, and justifying—among prospective mathematics teachers across different semesters of their undergraduate education. Employing an exploratory mixed-methods approach, the research involved 198 undergraduate students enrolled in a Mathematics Education program in Kediri, Indonesia. Data were collected through two validated numeracy tasks and analyzed using qualitative methods to identify reasoning patterns, complemented by quantitative analysis via the Kruskal-Wallis test to examine semester-based differences. The findings reveal that while students generally exhibit strength in conjecturing, persistent challenges remain in generalizing and justifying mathematical ideas, with more advanced students demonstrating comparatively higher proficiency. These results underscore the necessity for early, sustained, and scaffolded interventions within mathematics teacher education programs to nurture comprehensive reasoning capabilities. The study offers critical insights into the developmental trajectory of mathematical reasoning and informs the design of curriculum frameworks that better support the intellectual growth of future mathematics educators.

Keywords

Mathematical Reasoning Numeracy Problems Prospective Mathematics Teacher Semester-based Differences

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Copyright (c) 2025 Dewi Hamidah, Susiswo, Hery Susanto, Zun Azizul Hakim, Sharifah Osman

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Hamidah, D., Susiswo, Susanto, H., Hakim, Z. A., & Osman, S. (2025). Exploring the Mathematical Reasoning Skills Across Different Levels of Prospective Mathematics Teachers: A Mixed-Methods Investigation. Mathematics Education Journal, 19(2), 389–412. https://doi.org/10.22342/mej.v19i2.pp389-412
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