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Development of Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Beliefs Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study  

Hwang, Sunghwan (Seoul Gaju Elementary School)
Publication Information
Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea / v.24, no.3, 2020 , pp. 259-277 More about this Journal
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale of Korean elementary teachers' mathematics beliefs. We examined 299 elementary teachers' mathematical beliefs using 30 items, out of which 12 items covered beliefs about the nature of mathematics and 18 items covered beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning. In the first stage, we performed exploratory factor analysis using 149 survey data to examine the factor structure. In the second stage, we performed confirmatory factor analysis using 150 survey data. Building upon previous studies, we examined the construct validity of three different models to find the best factor structure. The study results indicate that the four-factor model with 14 items provides the best fit for the data: transmissive view of mathematics, constructivist view of mathematics, transmissive view of teaching and learning, and constructivist view of teaching and learning. The findings of the study reveal that each factor has adequate internal consistency and reliability. These results confirm that the beliefs scale is a reliable and valid measurement tool to measure Korean elementary teachers' mathematical beliefs. The implications of the study are discussed.
Keywords
elementary school teacher; factor analysis; scale development; teachers' mathematical beliefs;
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Times Cited By KSCI : 2  (Citation Analysis)
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