Exploring K–12 Mathematics Teachers’ Identity and Beliefs About Mathematics and Teaching
Keywords:
mathematics teacher education research, mathematics identity, teacher identity, mathematics teaching philosophy, beliefsAbstract
Research has indicated a need for mathematics-specific affective measures and reported a lack of research exploring how these beliefs relate to one another, specifically with identity measures. Thus, the aims of this study are: (1) to validate measurement items for a mathematics teacher identity scale and a mathematics teaching philosophy scale, and (2) to explore correlations that may exist between these and other mathematics-specific beliefs. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to provide evidence to support the inclusion of instrument items measuring both the mathematics teacher identity and mathematics teaching philosophy scales. Additionally, results indicated strong or moderate correlations among many of the identity and beliefs measures, such as mathematics identity and mathematics teacher identity. Mathematical mindsets, however, were either weakly correlated or not significantly correlated with all other measures. This study extends previous research on the understanding of the relationships among mathematics specific affective measures.
References
Aguirre, J., Mayfield-Ingram, K., & Martin, D. B. (2013). The impact of identity in K–8 mathematics: Rethinking equity-based practices. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Ashcraft, M. H. (2002). Math anxiety: Personal, educational, and cognitive consequences. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11(5), 181–185. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00196
Baleghizadeh, S., & Shakouri, M. (2017). Investigating the relationship between teaching styles and teacher self-efficacy among some Iranian ESP university instructors. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 54(4), 394–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2015.1087329
Ball, D. L., & Forzani, F. M. (2011). Building a common core for learning to teach and connecting professional learning to practice. American Educator, 35(2), 17–21.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self‐efficacy: The exercise of control. Freeman.
Baumert, J., Kunter, M., Blum, W., Brunner, M., Voss, T., Jordan, A., Klusmann, U., Krauss, S., Nuebrand, M., & Tsai, Y. M. (2010). Teachers’ mathematical knowledge, cognitive activation in the classroom, and student progress. American Educational Research Journal, 47(1), 133–180. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831209345157
Beijaard, D., Meijer, P. C., & Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(2), 107–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2003.07.001
Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010). Female teachers’ math anxiety affects girls’ math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1860–1863. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910967107
Beswick, K. (2012). Teachers' beliefs about school mathematics and mathematicians' mathematics and their relationship to practice. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 79(1), 127–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-011-9333-2
Bowne, M. (2017). Developing a teaching philosophy. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 17(3), 59–63. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1175767.pdf
Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Steca, P., & Malone, P. S. (2006). Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs as determinants of job satisfaction and students’ academic achievement: A study at the school level. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 473–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2006.09.001
Cobb, P., & Hodge, L. L. (2011). Culture, identity, and equity in the mathematics classroom. In A. J. Bishop (Managing Ed.), E. Yackel, K. Gravemeijer, & A. Sfard (Vol. Eds.), A journey in mathematics education research: Insights from the work of Paul Cobb (pp. 179–195). Springer.
Cribbs, J., Hazari, Z., Sadler, P. M., & Sonnert, G. (2015). Establishing an explanatory framework for mathematics identity. Child Development, 86(4), 1048–1062. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12363
Cribbs, J., Hazari, Z., Sonnert, G., & Sadler, P. (2021a). College students’ mathematics-related career intentions and high school mathematics pedagogy through the lens of identity. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 33(3), 541–568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-020-00319-w
Cribbs, J., Huang, X., & Piatek-Jimenez, K. (2021b). Relations of math mindset, math anxiety, math identity, and math self-efficacy to STEM career choice: A structural equation modeling approach. School Science and Mathematics. 121(5), 275–287. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12470
Cribbs, J., Tassell, J., Hazari, Z., Sadler, P., & Sonnert, G. (2022). Unpacking mathematics identity: Exploring undergraduate students’ enduring experiences. International Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 12(2), 68–91. https://doi.org/10.37001/ripem.v12i2.2923
Cross Francis, D., Hong, J., Liu, J., & Eker, A. (2018). “I’m not just a math teacher”: Understanding the development of elementary teachers’ mathematics teacher identity. In P. Schutz, J. Hong, & D. Cross Francis (Eds.). Research on teacher identity (pp. 133–143). Springer.
De Castella, K., & Byrne, D. (2015). My intelligence may be more malleable than yours: The revised implicit theories of intelligence (self-theory) scale is a better predictor of achievement, motivation, and student disengagement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 30(3), 245-267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-015-0244-y
Degol, J. L., Wang, M. T., Zhang, Y., & Allerton, J. (2018). Do growth mindsets in math benefit females? Identifying pathways between gender, mindset, and motivation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47(5), 976–990. https://doi.org/doi:10.1007/s10964-017-0739-8
Drake, C., Spillane, J. P., & Hufferd-Ackles, K. (2001). Storied identities: Teacher learning and subject-matter context. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 33(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270119765
Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House Digital.
Eccles, J. (2009). Who am I and what am I going to do with my life? Personal and collective identities as motivators of action. Educational Psychologist, 44(2), 78–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520902832368
Enyedy, N., Goldberg, J., & Welsh, K. M. (2006). Complex dilemmas of identity and practice. Science Education, 90(1), 68–93. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20096
Field, A., Miles, J., & Field, Z. (2012). Discovering statistics using R. SAGE Publications.
Gee, J. P. (2000). Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. Review of Research in Education, 25(1), 99–125. https://doi.org/10.102/0091732X025001099
Ghaith, G., & Yaghi, H. (1997). Relationships among experience, teacher efficacy, and attitudes toward the implementation of instructional innovation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13, 451–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(96)00045-5
González, A., Conde, Á., Díaz, P., García, M., & Ricoy, C. (2018). Instructors’ teaching styles: Relation with competences, self-efficacy, and commitment in pre-service teachers. Higher Education, 75, 625–642.
Grillo, M. & Kier, M. (2021). Why do they stay? An exploratory analysis of identities and commitment factors associated with teaching retention in high-need school contexts. Teaching and Teacher Education, 105, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103423
Hadley, K. M., & Dorward, J. (2011). Investigating the relationship between elementary teacher mathematics anxiety, mathematics instructional practices, and student mathematics achievement. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 5(2), 27–44. https://doi.org/10.3776/joci.2011.v5n2p27-44
Hanna, F., Oostdam, R., Severiens, S. E., & Zijlstra, B. J. (2019). Domains of teacher identity: A review of quantitative measurement instruments. Educational Research Review, 27, 15–27.
Hannula, M. S. (2012). Exploring new dimensions of mathematics-related affect: Embodied and social theories. Research in Mathematics Education, 14(2), 137–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2012.694281
Hannula, M. S. (2016). An overview of the field and future directions. In G. Kaiser (Ed.), Attitudes, beliefs, motivation and identity in mathematics education (pp. 1–35). Springer International Publishing.
Holland, D., & Lave, J. (Eds.). (2001). History in person: Enduring struggles, contentious practice, intimate identities. School of American Research Press.
Hong, J. Y. (2010). Pre-service and beginning teachers’ professional identity and its relation to dropping out of the profession. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 1530–1543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.06.003
Hong, J., Francis, D. C., & Schutz, P. A. (2018). Research on teacher identity: Common themes, implications, and future directions. In P. A. Schutz, J. Hong & D. Cross Francis (Eds.), Research on teacher identity: Mapping challenges and innovations (pp. 243-251). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93836-3
Hopko, D. R. (2003). Confirmatory factor analysis of the math anxiety rating scale–revised. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63(2), 336–351. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164402251041
Jong, C. (2016). Linking reform-oriented experiences to teacher identity: The case of an elementary mathematics teacher. The Journal of Educational Research, 109(3), 296–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2014.947398
Kagan, D. M. (1992). Implications of research on teacher belief. Educational Psychologist, 27(1), 65–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2701_6
Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31–36.
Kayan, R., Haser, C., & Isiksal-Bostan, M. (2013). Preservice mathematics teachers’ beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning mathematics. Education and Science, 38(167), 179–195.
Kelle, U., & Buchholtz, N. (2015). The combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods in mathematics education: A “mixed methods” study on the development of the professional knowledge of teachers. In A. Bikner-Ahsbahs, C. Knipping & N. Presmeg (Eds.), Approaches to qualitative research in mathematics education (pp. 321–361). Springer.
Kelly, S., Romero, A., Morrow, J. A., Denton, Z., & Ducking, J. (2020). Instructor misbehaviors and math anxiety. Communication Reports, 33(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/08934215.2019.1675737
Larson, M. (2016, September 15). A renewed focus on access, equity, and empowerment. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. https://www.nctm.org/News-and-Calendar/Messages-from-the-President/Archive/Matt-Larson/A-Renewed-Focus-on-Access,-Equity,-and-Empowerment/
Lembrér, D. (2019). Using photo-elicitation in early years mathematics research. In U.T. Jankvist, M. Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, & M. Veldhuis. Proceedings of the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (No. 14). ERME. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1654628/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., van Geert, P., Bosma, H., & Kunnen, S. (2008). Time and identity: A framework for research and theory formation. Developmental Review, 28(3), 370–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2008.04.001
Lin, S., Wang, X., Chen, L., Zhu, J., & Wang, Y. (2017). The relationship between student teachers’ professional identity and anxiety: The moderating role of campus pressure. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 5(6), 214–223. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2017.56019
Lutovac, S., & Assunção Flores, M. (2021). ‘Those who fail should not be teachers’: Pre-service teachers’ understandings of failure and teacher identity development. Journal of Education for Teaching, 47(3), 379–394.
Lutovac, S., & Kaasila, R. (2019). Methodological landscape in research on teacher identity in mathematics education: A review. ZDM-Mathematics Education Research, 51(3), 505–515. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-018-1009-2
Marschall, G. (2022). The role of teacher identity in teacher self-efficacy development: The case of Katie. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 25(6), 725–747. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-021-09515-2
McGee, J. R., & Wang, C. (2014). Validity-supporting evidence of the self-efficacy for teaching mathematics instrument. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 32(5), 390–403. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282913516280
Midgley, C., Feldlaufer, H., & Eccles, J. S. (1989). Change in teacher efficacy and student self-and task-related beliefs in mathematics during the transition to junior high school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(2), 247–258. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.81.2.247
Miller, R. S., & Wang, M. T. (2019). Cultivating adolescents’ academic identity: Ascertaining the mediating effects of motivational beliefs between classroom practices and mathematics identity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(10), 2038–2050. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01115-x
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2014). Principles to actions: Ensuring mathematics success for all.
Nguyen, T. D., Lam, C. B., & Bruno, P. (2022). Is there a national teacher shortage? A systematic examination of reports of teacher shortages in the United States. Annenberg Institute at Brown University.
Oklahoma State Report Card. (2023). Oklahoma State Report Card 2022-2023. https://oklaschools.com/state/contextual/teachers/
Opdenakker, M. C., & Van Damme, J. (2006). Teacher characteristics and teaching styles as effectiveness enhancing factors of classroom practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.07.008
Patkin, D., & Greenstein, Y. (2020). Mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety of in-service and pre-service primary school teachers. Teacher Development, 24(4), 502–519. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2020.1785541
Reeder, S., Utley, J., & Cassel, D. (2010). Using metaphors as a tool for examining preservice elementary teachers' beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning. School Science and Mathematics, 109(5), 290–297. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2009.tb18093.x
Richter, E., Brunner, M., & Richter, D. (2021). Teacher educators’ task perception and its relationship to professional identity and teaching practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 101, Article 103303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103303
Roehrig, G. H., & Kruse, R. A. (2005). The role of teachers' beliefs and knowledge in the adoption of a reform‐based curriculum. School Science and Mathematics, 105(8), 412–422. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2005.tb18061.x
Rosenthal, R. (1994). Interpersonal expectancy effects: A 30-year perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 3(6), 176–179.
Ross, J., & Bruce, C. (2007). Teacher self-assessment: A mechanism for facilitating professional growth. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23(2), 146–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.04.035
Rushton, E. A. C., & Reiss, M. J. (2021). Middle and high school science teacher identity considered through the lens of the social identity approach: A systematic review of the literature. Studies in Science Education, 57(2), 141–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2020.1799621
Schoenfeld, A. H. (2022). Why are learning and teaching mathematics so difficult? In M. Danesi (Eds.). Handbook of cognitive mathematics (pp. 1–35). Springer International Publishing.
Schumacker, R. E., & Lomax, R. G. (2016). A beginner's guide to structural equation modeling. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Schutz, P. A., Hong, J., & Cross Francis, D. (2018). Research on teacher identity: Introduction to mapping challenges and innovations. In P. A. Schutz, J. Hong & D. Cross Francis (Eds.), Research on teacher identity: Mapping challenges and innovations (pp. 3-9). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93836-3
Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14.
Sypré, S., Waterschoot, J., Soenens, B., Verschueren, K., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2023). Do teachers use distinct motivational styles for cognitively gifted learners? The role of effectiveness beliefs, fixed mindset, and misconceptions about giftedness. European Journal of Psychology of Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-023-00716-2
Thamotharan, V., & Hazari, Z. (2017). STEM teaching identity, persistence, and constructivist teaching. Presentation at 11th Annual UTeach Conference, Austin, TX. https://institute.uteach.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/2017-Uteach-Conference-Program.pdf
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2022). Transforming education from within: Current trends in the status and development of teachers. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000383002
Utley, J., Moseley, C., & Bryant, R. (2005). Relationship between science and mathematics teaching efficacy of preservice elementary teachers. School Science and Mathematics, 105(2), 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2005.tb18040.x
Utley, J., Reeder, S., & Redmond-Sanogo, A. (2020). Envisioning my mathematics classroom: Validating the draw-a-mathematics-teacher-test and rubric. School Science and Mathematics, 112(6), 345–355. doi:10.1111/ssm.12426
Uygun-Eryurt, T. (2021). Phenomenological study about mathematics teaching anxiety in the context of professional identity. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 93, 301–318.
Wilkins, J. L. (2008). The relationship among elementary teachers’ content knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 11(2), 139–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-007-9068-2
van Daal, T., Donche, V., & De Maeyer, S. (2014). The impact of personality, goal orientation and self-efficacy on participation of high school teachers in learning activities in the workplace. Vocations and Learning, 7(1), 21–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-013-9105-5
Vermote, B., Aelterman, N., Beyers, W., Aper, L., Buysschaert, F., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2020). The role of teachers’ motivation and mindsets in predicting a (de) motivating teaching style in higher education: A circumplex approach. Motivation and Emotion, 44, 270–294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-020-09827-5
Vermote, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (2023). Which teachers feel good and adopt a motivating teaching style? The role of teaching identity and motivation to teach. Studies in Higher Education, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2296565
