• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.251-272
• /
• 2006

The purpose of the present study is to explore the process of teacher change as elementary school teachers participated in a community focused on improving mathematics teaching. To do so, a professional community lot improving instructional practice consisted of a group of voluntary elementary school teachers. The professional community provides participating teachers with great opportunities to share their understanding of practical knowledge related to mathematics teaching and learning and change mathematical beliefs as well as to learn pedagogical content knowledge. This study approached to teacher professionality in terms of mathematical beliefs and teaching practice. The change of teaching practice was measured coherently both with a questionnaire and with a mathematics teaching standard developed for this study. The findings of this study point out that techers' beliefs about how students learn mathematics have chantged. This study also indicated that after participating in the professional community focused on improving mathematics teaching, teachers' mathematical teaching is changed toward the more students' oriented way. Especially, it is observed that the meaningful change in participating teachers' teaching practice took place with respect to the role of teachers, students' interaction, mathematical tasks, and problem solving. Finally, this study implies that teachers can have an opportunity to change their beliefs and deepen their professionality about elementary mathematics teaching and learning through participating in the community of practice, through which participating teachers can share their practical knowledge and their understandings about teaching and learning of elementary mathematics.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.691-709
• /
• 2016

Understanding the belief of mathematics pre-service teachers is essential in conducting and designing the effective teacher education program. This study analyzed the mathematical belief of the elementary school pre-service teachers. The results of the study are as follows. First, persistence factor, which is the belief about solving mathematical problems, following teacher direction factor, which is the belief about mathematical studies, activity involvement factor, and interest factor, which is the belief about self-concept, showed much connection with other mathematical belief factors. Second, the stereotype factor, which is the belief about mathematics, are affecting the following teacher direction factor. The process factor, which is the belief about solving mathematical problems, are affecting the activity involvement factor. Third, as for the comparison of the mathematical beliefs according to grades, only the stereotype and usefulness factors, which are the beliefs about mathematics, and the benefit factor, which is the belief about self-concept, had statistically significant differences. Fourth, as for the comparison of the mathematical beliefs according to majors, all the mathematical beliefs except for the confidence factor and benefit factor, which is the belief about self-concept, had significant differences. Based on the results of this study, we need to establish the mathematical beliefs that the elementary school pre-service teachers should have, and prepare various measures such as education program for pre-service teachers and instruction-learning methods.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.549-569
• /
• 2015

Reflecting on own beliefs about teaching and learning, developed during "the apprenticeship of observation", is a central task for pre-service years. This case study analysed a lesson observation course which could identify, challenge pre-service teachers' folk pedagogy about classroom communications and induce to change of beliefs about teaching and learning. Our analysis shows that targeting and refuting pre-service teachers' specific belief may be an effective strategy for teacher educators to foster new teaching practice.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.31-38
• /
• 2016

WHAT we teach, and HOW students experience it, are the primary factors that shape students' understanding and beliefs of what mathematics is all about. Further, students pick up their sense of mathematics from their experience with it. We have seen the results of the approach to "break the subject into pieces and make students master it bit by bit. As an alternative, we strive to create a teaching environment in which students are DOING mathematics and thereby engender selected aspects of "mathematical culture" in the classroom. The vehicle for doing this is the so-called Japanese Open-ended approach to teaching mathematics. We will discuss three aspects of the open-ended approach - process open, end product open, formulating problems open - and the associated approach to assessing learning.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.287-303
• /
• 2017

In order to understand the characteristics of affect of elementary school students in this study, we used a questionnaire developed by Hannula (2012) to measure elementary students' beliefs and affective factors about mathematics based on the emotional, cognitive, and motivational dimensions of the affect of personal level. Statistical analysis and one-way ANOVA were conducted to identify the characteristics of elementary school students' beliefs and affective factors about mathematics according to mathematics achievement level, grade level, and gender. Regression analysis was performed to analyze the correlation between the factors. The results of this study are compared with the results of the previous study which used comparative study of elementary school students in Finland and Chile using the questionnaire used in this study.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.267-286
• /
• 2003

The purpose of this study was to understand the structures underlying Korean elementary teachers' attitudinal beliefs toward reform-oriented mathematics instruction and predict their intentions to change traditionally-oriented teaching practice. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) developed by Fishbein and Ajzen provided a conceptual framework for the examination of factors that influence Korean teachers' beliefs, attitudes, subjective norms and perceptions of control factors. Data were gathered through a survey instrument from 281 teachers who teach mathematics in a metropolitan city of Korea. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data. Findings indicate that Korean elementary teachers' change in Instructional practice is based primarily on their judgements regarding the likelihood of occurrences of certain consequences if they engage in teaching mathematics in a reform-oriented way. Teachers' perceptions of important others regarding the reform-oriented mathematics instruction seem to play a minor role in teachers' instructional change. Teachers' perceptions about control factors that prohibit or help teach mathematics in a reform-oriented way do not seem to make significant improvement in predicting their intentions to change traditionally-oriented teaching practice.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.73-85
• /
• 2009

The purpose of this research was to compare mathematically gifted students with non-gifted students in perception of learning environments, learning ability beliefs, and preference for problem-solving and task. Thirty-seven mathematically gifted students and 75 general students in middle school completed questionnaires about perceptions about mathematics. Data were analyzed by ${\chi}^2$ test and t-test. Compared with general students, mathematically gifted students estimated their talents for mathematics higher, studied mathematics more, expended more time and effort to solving difficult problems, put learning mathematics itself as their primary purpose for studying mathematics and regarded inappropriate environments as the major obstacle to mathematics study. Mathematically gifted students perceived their parents' support higher, solved problem creatively, and had higher preference for challenging tasks.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.23-31
• /
• 2000

This research elaborated five components for pre-service mathematics teacher training: 1) Mathematical content knowledge, 2) Pedagogical content knowledge, 3) Pedagogical reasoning, 4) System of training, and 5) Mathematics teachers' beliefs. For the effect teaching, mathematics teacher program should be reformed. The key to improvement should be concerntrated on developing knowledge about effective teaching and translating it into algorithms those teachses can learn and incorporate in their planning prior to teaching. A theory of instruction should specify the most effective sequences in which to present the materials to be learned.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.163-192
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations among mathematics teachers' beliefs, classroom norms and discourse, and equity issues in mathematics classrooms. In order to achieve this purpose, three teachers who work in the same school were analyzed. The analysis revealed that the participating teachers' beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning and about their students' abilities and motivation influenced the establishment of classroom norms and discourses that defined what students needed to do to be successful mathematics learners. Also, classroom norms and discourse affected the development of students' identity and power and the level of equity in the classroom.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.321-335
• /
• 2014

This study aimed to investigate beliefs of secondary pre-service teachers in mathematics. In particular, conceptions of teaching and learning were examined, For the purpose of this study, using an instrument, Teaching and Learning Conceptions Questionnaire, developed by Chan & Elliot(2004), a survey was conducted for 86 secondary mathematics pre-service teachers in Incheon area. The results showed that the mathematics pre-service teachers strongly agreed with the constructivist perspectives. In addition, compared to the juniors, the seniors responded more positive in the questions relative to the traditionalist view and the male students agreed more with the traditional conceptions, as comparing to the female students in this study. This study had limitations on the extent of the research site and participant. However, it would provide foundational information about pre-service teachers for teacher educators.