Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale for preservice teachers

Derya Sahin Ipek; Anikó Fehérvári

Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale for preservice teachers

Abstract

This study reports the Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice Beliefs (TMfSJ-beliefs) scale with preservice teachers. A two-phase design was implemented across ten universities, comprising a pilot study (n = 133) and a main study (n = 359) with preservice teachers enrolled in primary and elementary mathematics teacher education programmes. Following international guidelines for test adaptation, we obtained permission from the original authors, applied forward-back translation, conducted expert review to examine semantic and conceptual equivalence, and carried out cognitive interviews before piloting the translated 11-item, six-point Likert-type scale. Using polychoric correlations and the WLSMV estimator, we ran exploratory factor analysis on the pilot data and confirmatory factor analysis on both pilot and main samples. Findings supported a three-factor, 11-item structure corresponding to the original subscales (Value of Mathematics for All Students, Social Justice Should Be Integrated into Mathematics Instruction, and Mathematics and Its Relation to Inclusiveness), with acceptable fit in the main sample (CFI = .93, TLI = .91, RMSEA = .08, SRMR = .07). Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega indicated adequate internal consistency for two subscales and somewhat lower, though theoretically coherent, reliability for the inclusiveness subscale. Overall, the Turkish TMfSJ-beliefs scale shows promising utility for researching preservice teachers’ beliefs about teaching mathematics for social justice, while further validation with in-service teachers and more diverse samples remains necessary.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Education and Psychology, 2024/302-2.

Thanks

We thank the teacher educators for facilitating contact with students, and all the students who participated in the study.

References

Appelbaum, P., & Davila, E. (2007). Math education and social justice: Gatekeepers, politics and teacher agency. Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal, 22, 1 23. http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/education/research/centres/stem/publications/pmej/pome22/index.htm
Atweh, B., & Brady, K. (2009). Socially response-able mathematics education: Implications of an ethical approach. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 5(3), 267–276. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75278
Bartlett, M.S. (1950). Tests of significance in factor analysis. British Journal of Psychology, 3, 77–85.
Brown, K.M. (2004). Assessing preservice leaders’ beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding issues of diversity, social justice, and equity: A review of existing measures. Equity & Excellence in Education, 37(4), 332–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680490518948
Brown, T.A. (2006). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. Guilford Press.
Bulut, M. (2007). Curriculum reform in Turkey: A case of primary school mathematics curriculum. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 3(3), 203 212. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75399
Cahill, M.A., & Botic, C. (2023). How mathematics teacher education programs prepare teachers to teach for equity and social justice. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-023-09588-1
Chen, F.F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 14(3), 464 504. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510701301834

Cheung, G.W., & Rensvold, R.B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 9(2), 233 255. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_5
Cinar-Bent, G. (2024). Developing pre-service mathematics teachers’ understanding of teaching mathematics for social justice [Doctoral dissertation, Middle East Technical University]. OpenMETU. https://hdl.handle.net/11511/109067
Cochran-Smith, M. (2004). Walking the road: Race, diversity, and social justice in teacher education. Teachers College Press.
Cochran-Smith, M. (2020). Teacher education for justice and equity: 40 years of advocacy. Action in Teacher Education, 42(1), 49–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2019.1702120
D’Ambrosio‚ U. (1994). Cultural framing of mathematics teaching and learning. In R. Biehler‚ R.W. Scholz‚ R. Strasser & B. Winkelman (Eds.)‚ Didactics of mathematics as a scientific discipline (pp. 443–455). Kluwer.
Dunn, T., Baguley, T., & Brunsden, V. (2014). From alpha to omega: A practical solution to the pervasive problem of internal consistency estimation. British Journal of Psychology, 105(3), 399–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12046
Enterline, S., Cochran-Smith, M., Ludlow, L., & Mitescu, E. (2008). Learning to teach for social justice: Measuring change in the beliefs of teacher candidates. The New Educator, 4(4), 267 290. https://doi.org/10.1080/15476880802430361
Felton-Koestler, M.D. (2017). Mathematics education as sociopolitical: Prospective teachers’ views of the what, who, and how. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 20(1), 49 74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-015-9315-x
Flora, D.B., & Curran, P.J. (2004). An empirical evaluation of alternative methods of estimation for confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data. Psychological Methods, 9(4), 466 491. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.9.4.466
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D.F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39 50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. Bergman Ramos, Trans.). Continuum. (Original work published 1970)
Garii, B., & Appova, A. (2013). Crossing the great divide: Teacher candidates, mathematics, and social justice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 34, 198–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.07.004
Gates, P., & Jorgensen, R. (2009). Foregrounding social justice in mathematics teacher education. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 12(3), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-009-9105-4
Gregson, S.A. (2013). Negotiating social justice teaching: One full-time teacher’s practice viewed from the trenches. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 44(1), 164 198. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.44.1.0164
Gutiérrez, R. (2007). (Re)defining equity: The importance of a critical perspective. In N. Nasir & P. Cobb (Eds.), Improving access to mathematics: Diversity and equity in the classroom (pp. 37–50). Teachers College Press.
Gutiérrez, R. (2013). The sociopolitical turn in mathematics education. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 44(1), 37–68. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.44.1.0037
Gutstein, E. (2003). Teaching and learning mathematics for social justice in an urban, Latino school. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 34(1), 37–73. https://doi.org/10.2307/30034699
Gutstein, E. (2012). Reflections on teaching and learning mathematics for social justice. In A.A. Wager & D.W. Stinson (Eds.), Teaching mathematics for social justice: Conversations with educators (pp. 63–78). National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2009). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Hambleton, R.K., & Patsula, L. (1999). Increasing the validity of adapted tests: Myths to be avoided and guidelines for improving test adaptation practices. Journal of Applied Testing Technology, 1(1), 1–16.
Hambleton, R.K., Merenda, P.F., & Spielberger, C.D. (Eds.). (2005). Adapting educational and psychological tests for cross-cultural assessment. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Holgado-Tello, F.P., Chacón-Moscoso, S., Barbero-García, I., & Vila-Abad, E. (2010). Polychoric versus Pearson correlations in exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of ordinal variables. Quality & Quantity, 44, 153–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-008-9190-y
Hu, L.T., & Bentler, P.M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Jong, C., Hodges, T., & Zhou, H. (2023). Teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale: Psychometrics and practices in teacher education. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 54(8), 1716–1730. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2023.2204473
Kagan, D.M. (1992). Professional growth among preservice and beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 62(2), 129–169.
Kaiser, H.F., & Rice, J. (1974). Little Jiffy, Mark IV. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 34(1), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447403400115
Kaur, B. (2012). Equity and social justice in teaching and teacher education. In C. Day (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook of teacher and school development (pp. 161–171). Routledge.
Kayan, R., Haser, Ç., & Işıksal Bostan, M. (2013). Matematik öğretmen adaylarının matematiğin doğası, öğretimi ve öğrenimi hakkındaki inanışları [Preservice mathematics teachers’ beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning mathematics]. Eğitim ve Bilim, 38(167), 179–195.
Koc, Y., Isiksal, M., & Bulut, S. (2007). Elementary school curriculum reform in Turkey. International Education Journal, 8(1), 30–39.
Koestler, C. (2012). Beyond apples, puppy dogs, and ice cream: Preparing teachers to teach mathematics for equity and social justice. In A.A. Wager & D.W. Stinson (Eds.), Teaching mathematics for social justice: Conversations with educators (pp. 81–97). National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Leatham, K.R. (2006). Viewing mathematics teachers’ beliefs as sensible systems. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 9(1), 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-006-9006-8
Leonard, J., & Evans, B.R. (2012). Challenging beliefs and dispositions: Learning to teach mathematics for social justice. In A.A. Wager & D.W. Stinson (Eds.), Teaching mathematics for social justice: Conversations with educators (pp. 99–111). National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Liao, W., Wang, C., Zhou, J., Cui, Z., Sun, X., Bo, Y., Xu, M., & Dang, Q. (2022). Effects of equity-oriented teacher education on preservice teachers: A systematic review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 119, 103844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103844
Ludlow, L.H., Enterline, S.E., & Cochran-Smith, M. (2008). Learning to teach for social justice-beliefs scale: An application of Rasch measurement principles. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 40(4), 194–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2008.11909815
Malloy‚ C. (2002). Democratic access to mathematics through democratic education: An introduction. In L.D. English (Ed.)‚ Handbook of international research in mathematics education: Directions for the 21st century (pp. 17–26). Lawrence Erlbaum.
McDonald, M. (2007). The joint enterprise of social justice teacher education. Teachers College Record, 109(8), 2047–2081.
McGraw, R., Fernandes, A., Wolfe, J.A., & Jarnutowski, B. (2023). Unpacking mathematics preservice teachers’conceptions of equity. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 36(3), 645–670. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-023-00463-z
Meade, A.W., & Bauer, D.J. (2007). Power and precision in confirmatory factor analytic tests of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 14(4), 611–635. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510701575461
Mills, C., & Ballantyne, J. (2016). Social justice and teacher education: A systematic review of empirical work in the field. Journal of Teacher Education, 67, 263 276. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487116660152
MoNE [Ministry of National Education. (2025). National education statistics: Formal education 2024/2025. Strateji Geliştirme Başkanlığı.
MoNE [Ministry of National Education]. (2024). Turkey Century Education Model curriculum common text. https://tymm.meb.gov.tr/ortak-metin
Nieto, S. (2000). Placing equity front and center: Some thoughts on transforming teacher education for a new century. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(3), 180 187. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487100051003004
Nunnally, J.C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Pajares, M.F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307–332.
Powell, A., & Frankenstein, M. (1997). Ethnomathematics: Challenging eurocentrism in mathematics education. State University of New York Press.
Preacher, K.J., & MacCallum, R.C. (2003). Repairing Tom Swift’s electric factor analysis machine. Understanding Statistics, 2(1), 13–43. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328031US0201_02
Raygoza, M.C. (2016). Counting the experiences and beliefs of secondary teachers striving to teach mathematics for social justice in urban schools. Urban Education, 55(8 9), 1142 1171. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916672289
Register, J., Fernandes, A., & Pugalee, D. (2022). Supporting preservice mathematics teachers’ culturally responsive teaching: A focus on teaching for social justice. Mathematics, 10(6), 896. https://doi.org/10.3390/math10060896
Sandoval Jr, C., van Es, E.A., Campbell, S.L., & Santagata, R. (2020). Creating coherence in teacher preparation: Examining teacher candidates’ conceptualizations and practices for equity. Teacher Education Quarterly, 47(4), 8–32.
Skovsmose, O. (2005). Travelling through education: Uncertainty, mathematics, responsibility. Sense Publishers.
Snyder, T.D., De Brey, C., & Dillow, S.A. (2019). Digest of Education Statistics 2017, NCES 2018- 070. National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2018070
Sousa, V.D., & Rojjanasrirat, W. (2011). Translation, adaptation, and validation of instruments or scales for use in cross-cultural health care research: A clear and user-friendly guideline. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 17(2), 268–274. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01434.x
Stinson, D.W. (2004). Mathematics as “gate-keeper” (?): Three theoretical perspectives that aim toward empowering all children with a key to the gate. The Mathematics Educator, 14(1), 8–18.
Swanson, D., Yu, H.L., & Mouroutsou, S. (2017). Inclusion as ethics, equity and/or human rights? Spotlighting school mathematics practices in Scotland and globally. Social Inclusion, 5(3), 172–182. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v5i3.984
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson.
Tate, W.F. (1995). School mathematics and African American students: Thinking seriously about opportunity to learn standards. Educational Administration Quarterly, 31(3), 424 448. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161x95031003006
Turhan Turkan, B. (2017). Sosyomatematiksel konularla bütünleştirilmiş matematik öğretimi: Sosyal adalet ve eşitlik değerlerine ilişkin farkındalık ile problem kurma becerisi geliştirmeye yönelik bir eylem araştırması [Mathematics instruction integrated with sociomathematical subjects: An action research on developing awareness of social justice and equality values and problem-posing skill] [Doctoral dissertation, Çukurova University]. Council of Higher Education (YÖK) National Thesis Center (Tez No.485657).
Turhan Turkan, B., & Karakuş, M. (2018). The opinions of middle school mathematics teachers on the integration of mathematics course and social issues. European Journal of Educational Research, 7(2), 397–406. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.7.2.397
Turner, E.E., Drake, C., McDuffie, A.R., Aguirre, J., Bartell, T.G., & Foote, M.Q. (2012). Promoting equity in mathematics teacher preparation: A framework for advancing teacher learning of children’s multiple mathematics knowledge bases. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 15(1), 67–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-011-9196-6
Valencia Mazzanti, C., & Karsli-Calamak, E. (2022). “Kind of interrupting”: teachers of young children understanding mathematics learning and linguistic diversity. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 35(2), 210–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2020.1829740
Wager, A.A., & Stinson, D.W. (Eds.). (2012). Teaching mathematics for social justice: Conversations with educators. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Yolcu, A. (2021). Turkey’s problem-solving child: A historical analysis of the cultural spaces of mathematics education. Education and Science, 46(206), 27 46. https://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2020.8906

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Cross-Cultural Scale Adaptation

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Derya Sahin Ipek ^*
0009-0005-9929-1884
Hungary

Anikó Fehérvári This is me
0000-0003-4477-7682
Hungary

Early Pub Date

April 23, 2026

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

September 24, 2025

Acceptance Date

March 12, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Sahin Ipek, D., & Fehérvári A. (2026). Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale for preservice teachers. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, Advanced Online Publication. https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX

AMA

1.Sahin Ipek D, Fehérvári A. Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale for preservice teachers. Int. J. Assess. Tools Educ. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication). https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX

Chicago

Sahin Ipek, Derya, and Fehérvári Anikó. 2026. “Turkish Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice Beliefs Scale for Preservice Teachers”. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, no. Advanced Online Publication. https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX.

EndNote

Sahin Ipek D, Fehérvári A (April 1, 2026) Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale for preservice teachers. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education Advanced Online Publication

IEEE

[1]D. Sahin Ipek and Fehérvári A., “Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale for preservice teachers”, Int. J. Assess. Tools Educ., no. Advanced Online Publication, Apr. 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX

ISNAD

Sahin Ipek, Derya - Fehérvári Anikó. “Turkish Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice Beliefs Scale for Preservice Teachers”. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education. Advanced Online Publication (April 1, 2026). https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX.

JAMA

1.Sahin Ipek D, Fehérvári A. Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale for preservice teachers. Int. J. Assess. Tools Educ. 2026. Available at https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX.

MLA

Sahin Ipek, Derya, and Fehérvári Anikó. “Turkish Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice Beliefs Scale for Preservice Teachers”. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, no. Advanced Online Publication, Apr. 2026, https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX.

Vancouver

1.Derya Sahin Ipek, Anikó Fehérvári. Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the teaching mathematics for social justice beliefs scale for preservice teachers. Int. J. Assess. Tools Educ. [Internet]. 2026 Apr. 1;(Advanced Online Publication). Available from: https://izlik.org/JA93YN66WX