A Study of Teachers’ Perceived Beliefs Regarding Teaching Practice

Narumon Changsri,Maitree Inprasitha,Kanokporn Changtong,Auijit Pattanajak

doi:10.4236/psych.2012.34049

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the perceived beliefs of the teachers regarding teaching practice in the con- text of a three year professional development project implementing lesson study incorporating Open Ap- proach conducted by the Center for Research in Mathematics Education. The teaching practice set under the cycle of lesson study were as follows: 1) collaboratively designing research lesson at least once a week; 2) Collaboratively observing their friends teaching the research lesson taken 3 - 4 hours per a week; 3) Collaboratively conducting post-discussion or reflection on teaching practice conducted once a week. From these three phases, Open Approach was used as an approach such as how to change teachers’ roles to be more facilitator and the like. The data were collected through questionnaire distributing to teachers in three schools in the project. In addition, the qualitative data were collected by participatory observation on teaching practice of one teacher twice a week throughout one academic year, interviewing the con- cerned teacher and other teachers in the lesson study team. The findings, where teachers’ perceived be- liefs regarding teaching practice were classified into three categories and these were: 1) about mathemat- ics teaching; 2) about students’ learning mathematics; 3) about social context.

Highlights

Teaching reforms cannot take place unless teachers deeply held beliefs about mathematics and its teaching and learning change (Ernest, 1988)
From the teachers’ responses, their perceived beliefs regarding teaching practice could be classified with the method of content analysis into three categories: 1) on mathematics teaching; 2) on students’ learning mathematics; 3) on social context
1) Perceived beliefs about mathematics teaching During the process of collaboratively designing research lesson, teachers were aware that they provided more chance to prepare their research lessons than they were used to do and they were planning the lessons in advance both on materials and classroom activities to be appropriate with their students

Summary

Introduction

Teaching reforms cannot take place unless teachers deeply held beliefs about mathematics and its teaching and learning change (Ernest, 1988). It could be claimed that teachers’ beliefs influence their teaching practice (Ernest, 1988; Thompson, 1992). Ernest (1988) argued that factors affect teachers’ beliefs were social context and teachers’ level of consciousness of their own beliefs, and the extent to which the teachers reflects on their teaching practice. Opportunities to reflect on teaching practices enhance changes in teachers’ beliefs and to promote a stronger congruence between teachers’ changed beliefs and their practices (Forgasz & Leder, 2008). Change in teachers’ beliefs might not lead to change in their practice. The most lasting change would be the result from professional development experiences that provide teachers with opportunities to coordinate incremental change in beliefs with corresponding change in practice (Philipp, 2007)

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Conclusion