Teacher Beliefs about Constructivist and Instrumentalist Approaches to Mathematics Teaching: An Exploratory Case Study
Keywords:
mathematics teaching, primary teaching, professional development, Australian Curriculum, teacher beliefsAbstract
Within a global trend of the narrowing of curricula, the teaching of mathematics through a constructivist approach, where students actively build meaning through inquiry, reasoning and conceptual understandings, is at risk. This exploratory case study, conducted in a medium-sized regional school in Queensland, Australia, sought to understand teacher’s beliefs about mathematics and how these beliefs impact their practice. Findings showed that teachers held mixed beliefs about teaching and learning mathematics and often struggled to use the Australian Curriculum in ways that supported high-quality constructivist approaches to pedagogy, finding it too restrictive. This study highlights the need for targeted professional development to support teachers with pedagogical strategies that align with the intent of the Australian Curriculum and constructivist approaches, ensuring that future 21st‑century learners become confident, creative users and communicators of mathematics.
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