Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Modern Research in Education, Teaching and Learning
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Factors Affecting Mathematics Teacher Beliefs and Pedagogical Practices of Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning
Rajeshree Thanapal, Dr Paul Brown, Asso. Prof. Craig Whitsed
ABSTRACT:
The movement towards inquiry-based approaches has been prominent in education for many years. This research explored how the beliefs and pedagogical practices of mathematics teachers changed following the implementation of the revised mathematics curriculum, since 2019, with its emphasis on inquiry-based approaches of teaching and learning. Based on a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, data from surveys, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and follow-up interviews were collected from ten teachers from Australia and the United States of America. At the culmination of the study, inductive and deductive processes were used to analyse and interpretate data collected. Several key themes emerged in regard to factors influencing teachers’ pedagogical choices and beliefs: the knowledge gains in students, time constraints, difficulty in assessing the internal assessment component, teacher anxiety, ineffective professional development courses and a mismatch between belief and practice. Teachers often identified the mathematical ability of students as a reason for depressed results from inquiry-based approach although they strongly felt that inquirybased learning had potential yet they did not use it in their classrooms. This study is the first to provide a rich and in-depth understanding of how the revised curriculum has supported inquiry-based instructions since 2019 and its impact on teachers’ beliefs, changes to their pedagogical practices, and the effects of those choices in the International Baccalaureate curriculum. The findings may provide information for the educational organisations and schools on supporting teachers to deliver the curriculum using inquiry-based teaching and learning more effectively.
keywords: beliefs; inquiry; mathematics; pedagogies; teacher