Student teachers’ reflections on the pedagogy of play as a modelling approach in mathematics: Opportunities and challenges

Koena Samuel Mabotja

doi:10.29333/ejmste/18136

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Koena Samuel Mabotja ¹ ^*

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¹ Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Teaching, Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley, SOUTH AFRICA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore student teachers’ reflections on the pedagogy of play (PoP) as a modeling approach in mathematics. PoP has generally been perceived as a model characterized by a playful classroom environment where learners take risks, make mistakes, and explore new ideas. When student teachers are equipped with PoP knowledge, they can create effective learning environments in mathematics classrooms based on learners’ everyday contexts. This aligns with modern educational trends that advocate for integrating the arts into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. The phenomenological research design was employed to describe, understand, interpret, and explain student teachers’ reflections. The participants were 10 mathematics education student teachers who participated in post-intervention focus group interviews, which were used as the main data collection instrument. The findings revealed that PoP can bring a new innovative perspective into the teaching and learning of fractions. It was also revealed that music and boomwhackers may create disruptions in the learning of mathematics.

Keywords

boomwhackers
common fractions
contextualization
mathematics knowledge for teaching
music
pedagogy of play
pre-service mathematics teacher education
pedagogical content knowledge

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 22, Issue 4, April 2026, Article No: em2806

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18136

Publication date: 01 Apr 2026

Online publication date: 15 Mar 2026

Article Views: 28

Article Downloads: 10

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How to cite this article

APA

Mabotja, K. S. (2026). Student teachers’ reflections on the pedagogy of play as a modelling approach in mathematics: Opportunities and challenges. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 22(4), em2806. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18136

Vancouver

Mabotja KS. Student teachers’ reflections on the pedagogy of play as a modelling approach in mathematics: Opportunities and challenges. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2026;22(4):em2806. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18136

AMA

Mabotja KS. Student teachers’ reflections on the pedagogy of play as a modelling approach in mathematics: Opportunities and challenges. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2026;22(4), em2806. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18136

Chicago

Mabotja, Koena Samuel. "Student teachers’ reflections on the pedagogy of play as a modelling approach in mathematics: Opportunities and challenges". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2026 22 no. 4 (2026): em2806. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18136

Harvard

Mabotja, K. S. (2026). Student teachers’ reflections on the pedagogy of play as a modelling approach in mathematics: Opportunities and challenges. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 22(4), em2806. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18136

MLA

Mabotja, Koena Samuel "Student teachers’ reflections on the pedagogy of play as a modelling approach in mathematics: Opportunities and challenges". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 22, no. 4, 2026, em2806. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18136