Facilitating parental engagement in school mathematics and science through inquiry-based learning: an examination of teachers’ and parents’ beliefs

This study examined teachers’ and parents’ beliefs on the implementation of inquiry-based modeling activities as a means to facilitate parental engagement in school mathematics and science. The study had three objectives: (a) to describe teachers’ beliefs about inquiry-based mathematics and science and parental engagement; (b) to describe parents’ beliefs about inquiry-based mathematics and science and their engagement in inquiry-based problem solving; and (c) to explore the impact of an inquiry-based learning environment comprising a model-eliciting activity and Twitter. The research involved three sixth-grade teachers and 32 parents from one elementary school. Teachers and parents participated in workshops, followed by the implementation of a model-eliciting activity in two classrooms. Three teachers and six parents participated in semi-structured interviews. Teachers reported positive beliefs on parental engagement in the mathematics and science classrooms and the potential positive role of parents in implementing innovative problem-solving activities. Parents expressed strong beliefs on their engagement and welcomed the inquiry-based modeling approach. Based on the results of this aspect of a four-year longitudinal design, implications for parental engagement in inquiry-based mathematics and science teaching and learning and further research are discussed.     

The Impact of Problem Posing on Elementary Teachers' Beliefs About Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching

This study investigated the impact of incorporating problem posing in elementary classrooms on the beliefs held by elementary teachers about mathematics and mathematics teaching. Teachers participated in a year‐long staff development project aimed at facilitating the incorporation of problem posing into their classrooms. Beliefs were examined via pre‐ and postsurvey. Results indicated a positive impact on their beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction. Data from open‐ended written responses verified the impact of problem posing on the teachers and their classrooms. Based on these findings, it is recommended that problem posing be incorporated into all professional learning and undergraduate education programs.     

Australian teachers’ views of effective mathematics teaching and learning

Thirteen Australian teachers who had been nominated by their professional mathematics teachers’ associations as excellent teachers of elementary school mathematics were interviewed on their beliefs about mathematics, mathematics learning and mathematics teaching. In particular, they were asked to discuss the characteristics of effective teachers of mathematics and excellent mathematics lessons. In spite of their differences in location, experience and teacher education, the teachers displayed a lot of consistency in their responses and in their lists of characteristics. While this group of teachers cannot be claimed to be representative of Australian teachers, they have provided a snapshot of what is regarded as effectiveness in mathematics education in Australian elementary schools.     

Changes in Preservice Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs: The Net Impact of Two Mathematics Education Units and Intervening Experiences

Preservice teachers in a bachelor of education (Primary and ECE) program were surveyed about their beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics and its teaching and learning, at the beginning of their first mathematics curriculum unit and again at the end of their second mathematics education unit, approximately 18 months later. Significant differences were found for several items. However, in comparison to previously noted changes in the beliefs of similar cohorts from the beginning to end of a single unit, the changes were relatively small. Aspects of the course that students considered valuable and which may have contributed to the changes are also reported.     

An “inverse” relationship between mathematics identities and classroom practices among early career elementary teachers: The impact of accountability

This qualitative case study guided by portraiture examines the relationships between three early career elementary teachers’ beliefs about themselves in relation to mathematics (mathematics identities) and their classroom practices. Through autobiographical inquiry, reflective practice, classroom observations, interviews, and artifacts, findings show that all three second grade teachers appeared to have an “inverse” relationship between their mathematics identities and their classroom practices. In this relationship, as negative as they felt about themselves with regards to mathematics, they expended that much more effort to ensure that their students would have positive experiences with it and not be stigmatized by it as they had been. Accountability to schools, students, and parents, to increase student achievement appeared to play an important role in this relationship. Implications for preservice teacher education, inservice professional development, and research on beliefs and practices are discussed.     

Gender Equity in Mathematics: Beliefs of Students,Parents, and Teachers

The attitudes about mathematics held by girls and boys participating in a regional mathematics contest, their parents, teachers, and mathematics coaches were investigated. Quantitative data regarding mathematics as a male domain, perception of importance of mathematics, confidence in learning mathematics, effectance motivation, and usefulness of mathematics were obtained. It was found that the traditional gender‐based differences in the beliefs regarding mathematics persist even in these mathematically talented students. Furthermore, parents' responses to the questions regarding the role of mathematics revealed that mothers, more than fathers, focused on the computational aspects of mathematics, while fathers more than mothers mentioned the role of mathematics in science or as a language. Boys, fathers, and certain mathematics teachers admitted to a low level of gender stereotyping, as evidenced by their scores on the Mathematics as a Male Domain subscale. However, the girls, mothers, and mathematics coaches did not endorse this stereotyping. Unsolicited responses of girls and mothers, in fact, emphatically denied that gender stereotyping exists. These findings are discussed in terms of the need to resolve the essential conflicts between students', parents', and teachers' deeply held beliefs regarding the nature of mathematics, gender differences in mathematical abilities, and the desire for equity within mathematics education.     

The beliefs of ‘Tomorrow's Teachers’ about mathematics: precipitating change in beliefs as a result of participation in an Initial Teacher Education programme

Mathematics education research has given increasing attention to the role of affective factors in the learning process. While 'affect' is used to refer to a variety of aspects including feelings, emotions, beliefs, attitudes and conceptions, this paper focuses on 'beliefs' of elementary pre-service teachers. In particular, the study evaluates the effect of participation in a reform-based elementary pre-service teacher education (referred to as Initial Teacher Education (ITE)) programme on participants' 'beliefs about the nature of mathematics'. This was completed using two (sub)scales of the Aiken's Revised Mathematics Scale measuring Enjoyment of Mathematics (E) and belief in the Value of Mathematics (V). Both scales were administered before and after participants completed the mathematics education programme, which consisted of 5 compulsory and consecutive modules. This study reveals that entry-level pre-service teachers report generally positive beliefs about the value of and enjoyment in doing mathematics. The findings challenge previous research, which report the tendency of teachers' beliefs to be resistant to change while in teacher education and suggest that it is possible for ITE mathematics education programmes to stimulate improvement in beliefs and attitudes among participants. Particular programme features are identified as instrumental in this positive change in beliefs about mathematics.     

Change in Preservice Teachers' Beliefs: An Evaluation of a Mathematics Methods Course

This study investigated and evaluated the potential impact of an elementary mathematics methods course in promoting teacher beliefs and attitudes that are consistent with the underlying philosophy of current reform efforts in mathematics education. Using the Mathematics Beliefs Instrument (MBI; Hart, 2002 ), data from 89 preservice teachers were used to evaluate the course. Findings from the study suggest a positive relationship between participating in the mathematics methods course and change in teacher beliefs and attitudes. This study also provided additional validation of the MBI.     

A quantitative study of the effects of informal mathematics activities on the beliefs of preservice elementary school teachers

This study sought to determine the relationship between participation in informal mathematics activities and the formal-to-informal beliefs of university teacher candidates in elementary education. Three classes of preservice teachers participated in the study through their enrollment in a content mathematics course for elementary education majors. Four informal mathematics activities were employed as part of the course requirements. Before and after formal-to-informal beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction were measured using a Likert-scale beliefs assessment instrument used by Collier (J Res Math Educ 3(3):155?C163, 1972) and Seaman et al. (School Sci Math 105(4):197?C210, 2005). Changes in beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction were compared to a control group. Student reflection upon personal experience derived from participation in the activities was analyzed for formal and informal belief statements.     

Mathematics teachers’ conceptions about modelling activities and its reflection on their beliefs about mathematics

The current study examines whether the engagement of mathematics teachers in modelling activities and subsequent changes in their conceptions about these activities affect their beliefs about mathematics. The sample comprised 52 mathematics teachers working in small groups in four modelling activities. The data were collected from teachers' Reports about features of each activity, interviews and questionnaires on teachers' beliefs about mathematics. The findings indicated changes in teachers' conceptions about the modelling activities. Most teachers referred to the first activity as a mathematical problem but emphasized only the mathematical notions or the mathematical operations in the modelling process; changes in their conceptions were gradual. Most of the teachers referred to the fourth activity as a mathematical problem and emphasized features of the whole modelling process. The results of the interviews indicated that changes in the teachers' conceptions can be attributed to structure of the activities, group discussions, solution paths and elicited models. These changes about modelling activities were reflected in teachers' beliefs about mathematics. The quantitative findings indicated that the teachers developed more constructive beliefs about mathematics after engagement in the modelling activities and that the difference was significant, however there was no significant difference regarding changes in their traditional beliefs.     

Using Metaphors as a Tool for Examining Preservice Elementary Teachers' Beliefs About Mathematics Teaching and Learning

This study used metaphors as a tool to gain insight about preservice teachers' conceptualizations of the role of the teacher and the learner and held the view that the examination of these metaphors might provide an opportunity for teacher educators to reflectively and critically examine those beliefs. Thus, this research examined possible differences in the reflected beliefs of elementary preservice teachers as depicted in their metaphors about mathematics teaching and learning at three different points throughout their mathematics education methods courses. The results of this study indicated that elementary preservice teachers' beliefs primarily remained static throughout their mathematics methods courses despite ongoing experiences designed to challenge and extend those beliefs.     

Impacting prospective teachers’ beliefs about mathematics

This study investigated: (1) the changes in the beliefs about mathematics held by 25 prospective elementary teachers as they went through a university mathematics course that aimed, among other things, to promote a problem-solving view about mathematics; and (2) the possible factors that accounted for the observed changes. The course incorporated specific features that prior research suggested reflect successful mechanisms for belief change (e.g., cognitive conflict). The data included students’ reflections, and responses to prompts and interview questions. Analysis of the data revealed the following major trends: (1) a movement towards a problem-solving view from the more traditional Platonist and instrumentalist views; and (2) no change in students’ initial views. Activities creating cognitive conflict, as well as the implementation of instruction valuing group collaboration and explanations, appear to have played important roles in the process of belief change. The findings have implications for research on teacher beliefs and teacher education.     

Family Mathematics Nights: An Opportunity to Improve Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Parents' Roles and Expectations

Providing preservice teachers with opportunities to engage with parents and begin to see them as collaborators in their children's education is a persistent challenge in mathematics methods courses and teacher preparation programs more broadly. We describe the use of family mathematics nights as a model for engaging parents and preservice teachers. These events helped preservice teachers feel more comfortable in working with parents, while also giving them a friendly space for learning more about parents, the ways they work with their children, and activities they do with their children. Incorporating surveys about parents' needs and suggestions for preservice teachers allowed us to use the results as a catalyst for fostering discussions around parent engagement later in the methods course.     

The Impact of Enacted Mathematics Curriculum Models on Prospective Elementary Teachers' Course Perceptions and Beliefs

This paper communicates the impact of prospective teachers' learning of mathematics using novel curriculum materials in an innovative classroom setting. Two sections of a mathematics content course for prospective elementary teachers used different text materials and instructional approaches. The primary mathematical authorities were the instructor and text in the textbook section and the prospective teachers in the curriculum materials section. After one semester, teachers in the curriculum materials section (n= 34) placed significantly more importance on classroom group work and discussions, less on instructor lecture and explanation, and less on textbooks having practice problems, examples, and explanations. They valued student exploration over practice. In the textbook section (n= 19), there was little change in the teachers' beliefs, in which practice was valued over exploration. These results highlight the positive impact of experiences with innovative curriculum materials on prospective elementary teachers' beliefs about mathematics instruction.     

Gender‐Related Beliefs and Mathematics Performance of Preservice Primary Teachers

The aim of this study was to examine whether there are gender differences in mathematics achievement and in beliefs about mathematics of preservice teachers over a period of four years. Data were collected from preservice teachers (156 males and 155 females) from the Ad?yaman University Faculty of Education in Turkey. The Mathematics as a Gendered Domain instrument was used to investigate preservice teachers' beliefs about the gender differences in mathematics. The results indicated that gender had no effect on mathematics performances of the preservice primary teachers. Findings of this research show that most of the male and female preservice primary teachers do not gender‐stereotype mathematics and believe that mathematics is gender neutral, although there are gender differences on some types of items of instrument.     

Elementary teachers’ mathematical beliefs and mathematics anxiety: How do they shape instructional practices?

This quantitative study investigated the relationships among practicing elementary teachers’ (N = 153) beliefs about mathematics and its teaching and learning, mathematics anxiety, and instructional practices in mathematics. When viewed singly, the findings reveal the teachers with higher levels of mathematics anxiety tend to use less standards‐based instruction and those with beliefs oriented toward a problem‐solving view of mathematics reported more standards‐based teaching. A combined analysis shows that after controlling for mathematical beliefs, teaching longevity, and educational degree attainment, there is no relationship between teachers’ mathematics anxiety and instructional practices. These findings suggest a spurious relationship between anxiety and practices, with beliefs having the strongest relationship with practices. Several suggestions for positively influencing the mathematical beliefs and affect in general of elementary teachers while learning mathematics are offered.     

A Problem-Solving Based Mathematics Course and Elementary Teachers' Beliefs

This study examined the impact a problem-solving based mathematics content course for preservice elementary education teachers (PSTs) had on challenging the beliefs they held with respect to mathematics and themselves as doers of mathematics. Nine PSTs were interviewed to gain insight into changes that occurred to their belief systems and what aspect(s) of the course were instrumental in producing those changes. Surveys to measure how strongly PSTs subscribed to five mathematical beliefs were administered to 137 PSTs who were enrolled in the course. Significant positive changes (p < .01) were observed for four of the five beliefs. When changes were studied by achievement level, students with final grades of A or B showed statistically significant changes (p < .005) in three of the five beliefs. Students who were interviewed consistently reported increased confidence in their mathematical abilities as a result of the course.     

Exploring Images of Parental Participation in Mathematics Education: Challenges and Possibilities

In this article, we draw on research within a large project on parental involvement in mathematics education in working-class Latino communities. Our research is situated within a sociocultural framework and, in particular, the concept of funds of knowledge. We also draw on research on parental involvement in education, particularly that which critically examines issues of power and perceptions of parents. We build on the concept of dialogic learning and on the characterization of parents as intellectual resources and present a model for parental involvement in mathematics in which parents engage as (a) parents, (b) learners, (c) facilitators, and (d) leaders. In particular, in this article, we focus on the third component—parents as facilitators of mathematics workshops for the community at large—centering on some of the challenges as parents and teachers engage in this type of collaboration. We also look at the possibilities afforded by a model for parental involvement that views parents as intellectual resources. By looking at examples of interactions among parents and teachers, and among parents and children, in mathematics workshops, we challenge conventional notions about parental involvement—in particular, as they apply to working-class, language/ethnic "minority" parents.