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Based on the design of the traditional elementary school, all classroom teachersare required to teach mathematics to their students; however, some teachers report theyexperience anxiety towards mathematics potentially impacting their students’ learning.The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which primary and intermediateelementary teachers’ perceptions of their personal mathematics anxiety, professionalmathematics teaching anxiety, personal mathematics teaching efficacy, and theirmathematics teaching outcome expectancy changed after the implementation ofprofessional development in mathematical instructional practices. A quantitative, causalcomparative research design was utilized in this study. The independent variable for thisstudy was participation in professional development in mathematics instructionalpractices. The four dependent variables measured were teachers’ perceptions of personalmathematics anxiety, professional mathematics anxiety, personal mathematics teachingefficacy, and mathematics teaching outcome expectancy and were measured using theMcAnallen Anxiety in Mathematics Teaching Survey (MAMTS) and theMathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI). The population includedteachers in grades pre-kindergarten through sixth grade employed in one Midwesternpublic school district. Teachers in the sample participated in professional developmentopportunities provided by the district in mathematics instructional practices andcompleted the pre-and post-professional development surveys.The results of this study indicated for primary elementary teachers, the meanperception of personal mathematics anxiety before the implementation of professionaldevelopment in mathematics instructional practices was not different from the mean perception of personal mathematics anxiety after the implementation of professionaldevelopment in mathematics instructional practices. However, for primary elementaryteachers, the mean perception of the three remaining dependent variables before theimplementation was different from the mean perception after the implementation ofprofessional development in mathematics instructional practices. For intermediateteachers, the mean perception of all four dependent variables before the implementationwas different from the mean perception after the implementation of professionaldevelopment in mathematics instructional practices. This study has implications that canbe used by district leaders who are in school districts focusing on improving mathematicsinstructional practices in the classroom through professional development needs of its’certified elementary teachers. |
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