Head mathematics teachers’ beliefs about the learning and teaching of mathematics

This paper reports on an investigation of teacher beliefs concerning the nature of mathematics and the learning and teaching of mathematics. The focus is on the espoused beliefs of 40 Head Mathematics Teachers in Australian secondary schools. These beliefs are compared with the espoused beliefs of classroom mathematics teachers in the same schools and with recent mathematics education reform documents from Australia and USA. A confirmatory factor analysis of responses from a specifically constructed survey identified two factors (child-centredness and transmission) which form the basis for the comparative analysis. Interviews with eight of the Head Mathematics Teachers who responded to the survey provide further detail for these comparisons. The ramifications of the similarities and differences in espoused beliefs of the different groups of teachers and the reform documents are discussed.

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