Values in the teaching and learning of mathematics: The most valued aspects by Portuguese teachers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48489/quadrante.32632Keywords:
Values in Mathematics Education, motivation and commitment, well-being, curriculum and school organization, teaching, learningAbstract
This article presents the first extensive study conducted in Portugal, where the aspects that mathematics teachers value the most in the teaching and learning of this subject are identified and discussed. The study followed a qualitative methodology and used content analysis to categorize the participants' responses, obtained through an electronic questionnaire. 113 mathematics teachers, teaching in the 7th and/or 10th grade, were surveyed about the three aspects they considered most important in the teaching and learning of mathematics. The authors developed and operationalized a coding protocol based on a pre-existing analytical framework. The results show that the surveyed teachers essentially value three aspects - Motivation and dedication, Well-being, and Curriculum and school organization. This suggests a strong tendency to value, on one hand, aspects that hold the students responsible for their own learning (e.g., motivation and attention) and, on the other hand, aspects external to the teacher (e.g., curriculum). Finally, the implications of these results for teacher training and curriculum development are discussed, considering the current moment of curricular changes in Portugal.
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