Problem Posing and Its Relationship with Teaching Experience of Elementary School Mathematics Teachers from Ethnic Minority Area in Southwest China

This study examined characteristics of problem posing and its relationship with the teaching experience of elementary school mathematics teachers from ethnic minority areas in the Southwest of China. Eighty-one ( N = 81) elementary school mathematics teachers responded to a task-based questionnaire and posed mathematical problems based on given problem situations. Characteristics of their mathematical problem posing were observed through the total numbers, appropriateness, difficultly, and flexibility levels of the problems posed by the teachers. Results show that elementary school mathematics teachers were capable of posing a considerable number of appropriate mathematical problems. Significant differences were found in the flexibility of the posed problems among the teachers with different years of teaching experience. This finding suggests that teachers ’ capability in mathematical problem posing may not necessarily grow along with teaching experience. Limitations of the study and implications in developing teachers ’ mathematical problem posing are discussed.

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