Influences of Technology Integrated Professional Development Course on Mathematics Teachers

Year 2018, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 233 - 243, 15.04.2018

Umit Kul

https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.7.2.233

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the degree to which a professional development (PD) program designed using GeoGebra influences a group of Turkish middle school teachers’ beliefs in relation to mathematics and role of GeoGebra in mathematics education. In order to collect the required data, the PD course was established to provide six teachers with an opportunity to obtain practical experiences with and necessary knowledge about the use of GeoGebra in mathematics education. In this context, a multiple case study approach was utilized, in which mathematics teachers were observed and interviewed using a variety of procedures to expose qualitative data about their beliefs and the dynamics of their beliefs changes during the course. The main findings illustrated that teachers’ beliefs were transformed to some extent in favour of the use of GeoGebra, as well as using constructivist ideas in their mathematics teaching and learning can be attained through the GeoGebra based PD course. In fact, the relationship amongst stated beliefs and intended teaching practice is complex and the social issues were very influential on teachers’ pedagogical decisions. This research also introduces some suggestions for researchers who focus on professional development of mathematics teachers relative to their beliefs.

Keywords

Professional development, Belief change, GeoGebra, Mathematics education

References

• Aguirre, J., & Speer, N. M. (2000). Examining the relationship between beliefs and goals in teacher practice. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 18(3), 327-356.
• Andrews, P., & Hatch, G. (1999). A new look at secondary teachers’ conceptions of mathematics and its teaching. British Educational Research Journal, 25(2), 203–223.
• Askew, M., Brown, M., Rhodes, V., Johnson, D., & Wiliam. D. (1997). Effective teachers of numeracy: Final report. London: Kings College.
• Babadoğan, C., & Olkun, S. (2006). Program development models and reform in Turkish primary school mathematics curriculum. International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.cimt.org.uk/journal/babadogan_olkun.pdf.
• Ball, D. (1988). Unlearning to teach mathematics. For the Learning of Mathematics, 8(1), 40-48.
• Baltaci, S., Yildiz, A., & Kosa, T. (2015). The potential of GeoGebra dynamic mathematics software in teaching analytic geometry: The opinion of pre-service mathematics teachers. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 6(3), 483-505.
• Becta, (2009). Primary Mathematics with ICT: A pupil’s entitlement to ICT in primary mathematics. Retrieved from http://www.bee-it.co.uk.
• Beswick, K. (2005). The beliefs/practice connection in broadly defined contexts. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 17(2), 39-68.
• Bolden, D. S., & Newton, L. D. (2008). Primary teachers’ epistemological beliefs: Some perceived barriers to investigate teaching in primary mathematics. Education Studies, 34(5), 419 - 432.
• Boz, N. (2008). Turkish pre-service mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics teaching. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 33(5), 66-80.
• Bulut, M. (2007). Curriculum reform in Turkey: A case of primary school mathematics curriculum. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 3(3), 203-212.
• Chan, K., & Elliott, R. G. (2004). Relational analysis of personal epistemology and conceptions about teaching and learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 817-831.
• Chapman, O. (2002). Belief structures and inservice high school mathematics teacher growth. In G. Leder, E. Pehkonen, & G. Torner (Eds.), Beliefs: A Hidden Variable in Mathematics Education (pp. 177-194). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishing.
• Cohen, L., Manion L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. (6th ed.). London: Routledge.
• Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (3rd eds.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Cross, D. I. (2009). Alignment, cohesions, and change: Examining mathematics teachers’ belief structures and their influence on instructional practices. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 12, 325-346.
• De Corte, E., Op’t Eynde, P., & Verschaffel, L. (2002). Knowing what to believe: the relevance of students’ mathematical beliefs for mathematics education. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 297-320). Mahwah: Lawrance Erlbaum Associates.
• Deng, F., Chai, C. S., Tsai, C. C., & Lee, M. H. (2014). The relationships among Chinese practicing teachers’ epistemic beliefs, pedagogical beliefs and their beliefs about the use of ICT. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(2), 245-256.
• Diković, L. (2009). Applications GeoGebra into teaching some topics of mathematics at the college level. Computer Science and Information Systems, 6(2), 191–203.
• Ernest, P. (1989). The impact of beliefs on the teaching of mathematics. In P. Ernest (eds.), Mathematics Teaching: The State of the Art (pp.249-254). London: Falmer Press.
• Ertmer, P. A. (2005). Teacher pedagogical beliefs: The final frontier in our quest for technology integration? Educational technology research and development, 53(4), 25-39.
• Goos, M., & Bennison, A. (2008). Surveying the technology landscape: Teachers’ use of technology in secondary mathematics classrooms. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 20(3), 102-130.
• Green, T. F. (1971). The activities of teaching. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Guskey, T. R. (2002). Professional development and teacher change. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 8(3/4), 381–391.
• Handal, B. (2003). Teachers’ mathematical beliefs: A review. The Mathematics Educator, 13(2), 47–57.
• Handal, B., & Herrington, A. (2003). Mathematics teachers’ beliefs and curriculum reform. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 15(1), 59-69.
• Hohenwarter, M., & Preiner, J. (2007). Dynamic Mathematics with GeoGebra. Journal for Online Mathematics and its Applications, 7, MAA, ID: 1448.
• Horzum, T., & Unlu, M. (2017). Pre-service mathematics teachers’ view about GeoGebra and its use. Acta Didactica Napocensia, 10(3), 77-90.
• Kaleli Yilmaz, G. (2015). The views of mathematics teachers on the factors affecting the integration of technology in mathematics courses. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(8), 132-148.
• Kul, U. (2013). Professional development of Turkish primary mathematics teachers within a computer-integrated learning environment: An exploration of changes in beliefs. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Leicester.
• Kul, U. (2012). Turkish mathematics teachers’ experiences with Geogebra activities: changes in beliefs. Research in Mathematics Education, 14(3), 293-294.
• Lavicza, Z. (2010). Integrating technology into mathematics teaching: A review. ZDM: The International Journal of Mathematics Education, 42(1), 105-119.
• Liljedahl, P. (2005). AHA!: The effect and affect of mathematical discovery on undergraduate mathematics students. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 36(2-3), 219-236.
• Liljedahl, P., Rosken, B., & Rolka, K. (2006). Documenting changes in pre service elementary school teachers’ beliefs: Attending to different aspects. Paper presented at Proceedings of the 28th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education.
• Mainali, B.R., & Key, M. B. (2012). Using dynamic geometry software GeoGebra in developing countries: A case study of impressions of mathematics teachers in Nepal. International Journal for mathematics teaching and learning, 1-16.
• Mcleod, D. (1992). Research on the affect in mathematics education: A reconceptualization. In D. A. Grouws (ed.) Handbook of Research on Mathematics Teaching and Learning, pp. 575-596. New York: Macmillan.
• Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Muis, K. R., & Foy, M. J. (2010). The effects of teachers’ beliefs on elementary students’ beliefs, motivation, and achievement in mathematics. In L. D. Bendixen & F. C. Feucht (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom: theory, research, and implications for practice (pp. 435-469). New York: Cambridge University Press.
• NCTM, (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.
• Nespor, J. (1987). The role of beliefs in the practice of teaching. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 19(4), 317–328.
• Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(1), 307–332.
• Perry, B., Howard, P., & Tracey, D. (1999). Head mathematics teachers’ beliefs about the learning and teaching of mathematics. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 11, 39-57.
• Philipp, R. A. (2007). Mathematics teachers’ beliefs and affect. En F. K. Lester (ed.), Second Handbook of Research on Mathematics Teaching and Learning (pp.257-315). Charlote, NC: NCTM.
• Preiner, J. (2008). Introducing Dynamic Mathematics Software to Mathematics Teachers: The case of GeoGebra. PhD Thesis, University of Salzburg, Austria.
• Richardson, V. (1996). The role of the attitudes and beliefs in learning to teach. J. Sikula (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Teacher Education. (Second ed. ss.102-119). New York: MacMillan.
• Ruthven, K. (2008). The didactical challenge of technology integration in school mathematics. Proceedings of the 17th Annual Meeting of the Mathematics Education Section of the Portuguese Society for Educational Sciences [EIEM XVII].
• Sadaf, A., Newby, T. J., & Ertmer, P. A. (2012). Exploring pre-service teachers’ beliefs about using Web 2.0 technologies in K-12 classroom. Computers & Education, 59, 937–945.
• Sanchez, M. (2011). A review of research trends in mathematics teacher education. PNA, 5(4), 129-145.
• Sang, G., Valcke, M., Braak, J. v., & Tondeur, J. (2009). Investigating teachers' educational beliefs in Chinese primary schools: Socioeconomic and geographical perspectives. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 37(4), 363-377.
• Skemp, R.R. (1976). Relational Understanding and Instrumental Understanding. Mathematics Teaching, 77, 20-26.
• Speer, N. (2005). Issues of methods and theory in the study of mathematics teachers’ professed and attributed beliefs. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 58(3), 361-391.
• Stipek, D., Givvin, K., Salmon, J., & MacGyvers, V. (2001). Teachers’ beliefs and practices related to mathematics instruction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(2), 213–226.
• Swan, M. (2006). Designing and using research instruments to describe the beliefs and practices of mathematics teachers. Research in Education, 75, 58-70.
• Swan, M., & Swain, J. (2010). The impact of a professional development programme on the practices and beliefs of numeracy teachers. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 34(2), 165-177.
• Tatar, E. (2013). The effect of dynamic software on prospective mathematics teachers’ perceptions regarding information and communication technology. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(12), 1-16.
• Thompson, A. G. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and conceptions: A synthesis of research. In D. A. Grouws (Eds.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 127– 146). New York: Macmillan.
• Ucar, Z. T., & Demirsoy, N. H. (2010). Tension between old and new: mathematics teachers’ beliefs and practices. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 39, 321-332.
• Wilson, M., & Cooney, T. (2002). Mathematics teacher change and development. The role of beliefs. In G. C. Leder, E. Pehkonen, & G. Torner (Eds.), Beliefs: A hidden variable in mathematics education? (pp. 127-147). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
• Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Zakaria E., & Lee, S.L. (2012). Teacher’s perceptions toward the use of GeoGebra in the teaching and learning of Mathematics. Journal of Mathematics and Statistics, 8(2), 253-257.
• Zakaria, E., & Maat, S. M. (2012). Mathematics teachers’ beliefs and teaching practices. Journal of Mathematics and Statistics, 8(2), 191-194.