Dispelling the notion of inconsistencies in teachers’ mathematics beliefs and practices: A 3-year case study

Abstract

Researchers in the field of mathematics education have focused on beliefs as a significant area of study because of the influence of beliefs on what is taught and learned. Much of the research in this area speaks about inconsistency between teachers’ beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning and their classroom practices. In this case study, I look beyond two elementary teachers’ perceived inconsistencies to gain a better understanding of the nature of their beliefs and how they are organized. Data were gathered from individual and focus group interviews, classroom observations, email communications, and researcher memos over the course of 3 years. Results showed that non-mathematics beliefs and contextual factors took precedence in certain classroom situations and contextual factors had an intervening influence on the actualization of beliefs. Several theoretical, methodological and practical implications of the findings are discussed.