Pre-service Elementary Teachers’ Concept Images on Diagonal of Quadrilaterals

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate senior pre-service elementary teachers’ concept images about diagonal of quadrilaterals. Forty-seven senior pre-service elementary school teachers were interviewed by means of two questions on diagonals of quadrilaterals. Findings of the study revealed that 31.91 percent of the participants did not know the meaning of the diagonal. These pre-service teachers thought that the sides or vertices were diagonals of quadrilaterals. Pre-service teachers used visual and rote approaches during the interviews. Another finding of the study is pre-service teachers were more successful on identifying the quadrilaterals whose diagonals are equal than identifying quadrilaterals whose diagonals are perpendicular to each other.