Dissertation Review

Paterson, Violet U. (2009). Teachers’ beliefs and practices in relation to reform oriented

mathematics teaching (Doctoral dissertation, Temple University, 2009). ProQuest LLC.

Organization of Dissertation:

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Table Of Contents

List Of Tables

listed by chapter and number specific to the placement of the table.

List Of Figures

listed by chapter and number specific to the placement of the figure.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Statement of the Problem

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to determine whether teachers were accepting of reform based teaching practices and if the teacher’s actions correlated with their beliefs and actions in the classroom.

Research questions:

o Do in-service mathematics teachers support the major principles of reform oriented mathematics instruction?

o To what extent do in-service mathematics teachers exhibit reform-oriented teaching in their classrooms?

Secondary research questions:

o Does professional development support reform oriented teaching practices?

o Do teachers’ beliefs vary with respect to the grade level they teach?

o Do teachers’ beliefs vary with respect to their levels of education?

Theoretical Framework

Definition of Terms

Significance of the Study

Professional development is conducted with teachers participating but what happens after the sessions are completed is not known.

Chapter 2 - Review Of Literature:

Review Of Literature

Some of the literature review is at the beginning of the paper broken in to context (history), beliefs about teaching, why teachers teach mathematics, constructivism, reform oriented instruction, reports of research, and a summary. Additional research is placed where it will impact the content in the paper.

Break down of major topics

Chapter 3 – Methodology

An explanation was provided for why the method, an explanatory mixed method design, was chosen. The study consisted of a survey, observations, and post observation interviews. The research setting was detailed to include how the school districts were chosen that were requested to participate, how the letters requesting participation were sent out, and why the selected districts were chosen. Demographics were given for each of the chosen school districts, stressing the names were changed so that they remained anonymous. Paterson completed a pilot study that correlated with the current study and used to determine if the modified Rand Survey was clear and appropriate.

The study was explained in stages:

Main Study Phase I – Survey. Phase 1 consisted of how the surveys were distributed, letter in the distribution explain the survey and saying thank you to the participants, consent forms attached to the survey and a time line for the taking and returning of the survey.

Main Study Phase 2 – Classroom Observation and Interviews. This phase began with how the ten teachers to be observed were chosen, the Reform Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) used, and how the observers were trained. The training was on what they were to observe such as the methodology used by the teacher, content knowledge, procedural knowledge, student-teacher interactions, and the culture of the classroom. In addition to the survey a 16-item Teacher Survey Questionnaire was given that asked questions about teacher beliefs and practice with respect to reform based teaching and learning. Post observation interviews were conducted to clarify what was observed in the classroom. The interview questions centered around seven items that were listed in at table. Additional specifics were given on how they requested permission to audio tape the interviewees.

Chapter 4 and Chapter 5

The results were given in two chapters, Chapter 4 and Chapter 5. Results of the questionnaire were reported in the first of these chapters while the observations and interviews were detailed in the second. Paterson was very clear about the results that matched or went with a specific research question. A table was used to answer research question 1 with the table thoroughly explained. The results showed that teachers are supportive of reform based teaching in their beliefs and practices. Pearson’s correlation was computed to answer the secondary research questions and one-way ANOVA’s were conducted on each of the questions on the survey. The sum of each of the questions was determined as well in order to do a multiple regression. The final results triangulated to reveal that what the teacher stated and what they actually did in their classrooms was two different things. Teachers strongly support reform based teaching but their beliefs were not due to any of their own demographic characteristics.

Observations were explained as to timing, length, what the observer was looking for, and teacher rights. Pre-observation interviews were conducted to gather data about the teacher and their class. Mini case studies were given for the ten teachers observed with the observer recording the number of minutes, student actions, and teacher actions in a table along with a bar graph revealing the RTOP scores. .

Chapter 6

The discussion and recommendation chapter was shorter than I anticipated. The chapter began with a review of the previous chapters, linking the actions with the results. Disconnects were revealed such as teachers believing in reform based mathematics but their actions do not correlate with their beliefs due to pressure or stress to have students achieve. Literacy in context was brought out which seemed out of line as it had not been mentioned previously. The contextual factors given were not solely focused on the school administration’s lack of support but included the given curriculum, professional development limits or requirements, and the demographics of the school population. Teacher beliefs were discussed and stated that what a teacher believes is the beginning to what is needed for change. The study also stated that a change in beliefs do not always lead to a change in practice due to the other contextual factors. Limitations included that there were only three school districts in the study so generalizations cannot be made to the masses. Beliefs held by the teachers were not determined nor assessed. The lack of determination of beliefs along with the short time span of the observations is a concern. Lastly, all participants are volunteers so they wanted to change.

Future research may include more studies in teacher beliefs, what they are and how they affect instruction and learning. A clear definition of reform based teaching needs to be addressed so that all will have a clear understanding of the expectations. Standardized assessments affect how teachers provide instruction. What can be done so that teachers might teach using methods that promote understanding with assessments correlating with instructional practices?

References

Appendices