Open AccessBeliefs, knowledge, teaching practice: three factors affecting the quality of teacher’s mathematical problem-solving
Author(s) -
Tatag Yuli Eko Siswono,
Ahmad Wachidul Kohar,
Sugi Hartono
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/1317/1/012127
Subject(s) - mathematics education , quality (philosophy) , mathematical practice , instrumentalism , teaching method , mathematics , epistemology , philosophy
Teacher knowledge and beliefs are known to play crucial roles in shaping teacher teaching practice regarding mathematical problem-solving. Thus, assessing the teacher’s quality of mathematical problem-solving can be traced through such three factors. This paper aimed at exploring the elements of mathematics-related beliefs, mathematics problem-solving knowledge for teaching, and problem-solving-based teaching practice needs to be improved by mathematics teachers. Some empirical findings of assessing those three factors from a two-year research project involving a total of 288 teachers from primary and secondary school on teacher’s problem-solving were presented as the manifestation of teacher quality regarding mathematical problem-solving. More specifically, the teachers participating in such a research project were indicated to have beliefs about nature of mathematics, mathematics teaching and mathematics learning ranging from Instrumentalist view to problem-solving view. Also, it was found that teacher problem-solving content knowledge such as knowledge of mathematics problem and problem-solving strategies was insufficient to hold a problem-solving instruction. Furthermore, the teacher’s teaching practice, assessed by observing how the teacher participants guide their students to solve a mathematics problem following Polya’s four stages of problem-solving, range from directive to consultative teaching. In sum, beliefs, knowledge, and teaching practice are discussed as three interdependent factors which determine the quality of teacher’s mathematical problem-solving.