Inclusion of Interdisciplinary Approach in the Mathematics Education of Biology Trainee Teachers in Slovakia

In order to eliminate the lack of teaching materials relevant to interdisciplinary teacher education, we implemented a worksheet about human blood. Altogether 64 students of bachelor and master study programmes of biology teacher training at Constantine the Philosopher University (CPU) in Nitra, Slovakia, filled in a 12-item worksheet which required the application of mathematical methods for answering biology-related questions. Moreover, students were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their attitudes to this material. By means of a content analysis of the teacher trainees’ performance on each of the 12 items, their current mathematical competencies (unit conversion, calculation of percentages, the rule of three, and combinatorics) were evaluated. Based on the statistical evaluation we conclude that the students’ success rate in tasks focused on unit conversion, calculation of percentages, and the rule of three, was significantly different than in tasks focused on combinatorics. This suggests that the higher knowledge shown in Mendelian concepts (combinatorics) is probably based on studying it in an interdisciplinary manner in their general biology courses. Finally, we conclude that the analysis of feedback received from students provides the university educators with the opportunity to adjust the content of the worksheet, and to improve their teaching strategies, in interdisciplinary contexts.