Elementary mathematics teachers? beliefs about mathematics and their practice and relationship between them

Research on mathematics teachers? beliefs show that mathematics teachers? beliefs about the nature of mathematics mathematics teaching and learning influence their practices. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mathematics teachers? beliefs about mathematics, mathematics learning and mathematics teaching and the influence of these beliefs on their practice in primary education. In addition, it is aimed to determine the factors influencing their beliefs and practices as well as the relationship between their beliefs and practices.Three teachers whose teaching experiences varied between three to six years participated in this study. All three teachers graduated from different teacher education programs but received their graduate degrees from the same program. Participants were also employed in different elementary schools in Bolu. This study was conducted in spring semester of 2007?2008 academic years. Data were collected through semi-structered interviews, belief scale, concept maps and classroom observations. Data about teachers? beliefs were obtained with interviews. During interviews, each teacher completed a belief scale and created a concept map showing the relationship between their beliefs and practices, and also factors influencing this relationship. Collected data were analyzed using content analysis technique. Each teacher?s responses were coded on the basis of traditional-non-traditional scale.The results of the study showed that one mathematics teacher had traditional mathematical beliefs and two teachers had primarily nontraditional beliefs. In addition, all three teachers? teaching practices were either tratidional or primarily traditional. Only one of the teachers were aware of the inconsistency between her beliefs and teaching practices. However, other two teachers were not aware of this inconsistency. In addition, results obtained from concept maps indicated there was a relationship between their mathematical beliefs and practices. Also, it was found that there were several factors affecting mathematics teachers? beliefs and practices as well as the relationship between their beliefs and practices. Participants? prior mathematics experiences as students was the most influential factor and their university education had little effect. In addition to these, participants stated that exams, their inadequate knowledge of school mathematics program, immediate classroom situations were other factors influencing their parctices.