Presented here is a survey for the assessment of prospective elementary teachers" dispositions wi... more Presented here is a survey for the assessment of prospective elementary teachers" dispositions with respect to mathematics. From a review of the literature, it was found that many, and at times inconsistent, operationalizations of the disposition construct were being used to examine student dispositions with respect to mathematics. Presented here is a conceptual framework composed of three modes of dispositional functioning, cognitive, affective, and conative, comprising ten subcategories of dispositional functions. The proposed framework offers consistency to language used in previous work, as well as a "focused" lens for examining issues related to student dispositions. The proposed framework was used to guide the development of a survey, the Mathematics Dispositional Functions Inventory. Measures taken to strengthen the validity and reliability associated with the survey are reported. Results provide empirical support for the proposed ten-factor structure used in the instrument. Estimates of internal consistency reliability are also given.
We seek to understand how pre-service and novice teachers view the importance of STEM education i... more We seek to understand how pre-service and novice teachers view the importance of STEM education in the elementary grades. A sample of prospective and early career elementary teachers was surveyed using an anonymous online questionnaire. The questionnaire asked for demographic information and this prompt: “Is STEM education important at the elementary level? Why or why not?” A constant comparative approach was used to analyze responses to provide insights about respondents’ beliefs. We found that all participants responded that yes, STEM education was important at the elementary years, but that several themes emerged when considering reasons given, and that the types of responses given varied in terms of subject and complexity when comparing responses by respondents’ second major. These findings paint an initial picture of what future elementary STEM instruction might look like, insofar as teachers’ beliefs can influence instructional choices. Additionally, these findings may have im...
The purpose of this study is to document criteria used by pre-service middle school mathematics t... more The purpose of this study is to document criteria used by pre-service middle school mathematics teachers when evaluating the effectiveness of their mathematics instruction. 33 pre-service teachers either participated in interviews or completed open-ended questionnaires about the effectiveness of their instruction when implementing a common lesson plan designed to help students understand the division of fractions algorithm. Results demonstrate that these preservice teachers had a focus on student outcomes when ...
Mathematics Education Across Cultures: Proceedings of the 42nd Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 2020
Beginning to understand children’s mathematical dispositions during the preschool years may be be... more Beginning to understand children’s mathematical dispositions during the preschool years may be beneficial as early childhood experiences can predict student’s achievement in subsequent educational settings (Fleer & Raben, 2005). Findings suggest that mathematical dispositions can be related to academic success in mathematics (Beyers, 2011a, 2012; Kusmaryono, Suyitno, Dwijanto, & Dwidayati, 2019; O’Dell, 2017). However, there are relatively few studies examining mathematical dispositions among preschool-aged children. However, it is critical to explore the nature of these dispositions and corresponding behaviors at this stage of development, because these behaviors may be directly related to mathematical gains in subsequent educational settings (Hofer, Farran, & Cummings, 2013). The current study aims to address the question of whether preschoolaged children demonstrate observable mathematical dispositions in a pre-kindergarten school environment. The authors draw on a conceptual fra...
Presented here is a survey for the assessment of prospective elementary teachers" dispositions wi... more Presented here is a survey for the assessment of prospective elementary teachers" dispositions with respect to mathematics. From a review of the literature, it was found that many, and at times inconsistent, operationalizations of the disposition construct were being used to examine student dispositions with respect to mathematics. Presented here is a conceptual framework composed of three modes of dispositional functioning, cognitive, affective, and conative, comprising ten subcategories of dispositional functions. The proposed framework offers consistency to language used in previous work, as well as a "focused" lens for examining issues related to student dispositions. The proposed framework was used to guide the development of a survey, the Mathematics Dispositional Functions Inventory. Measures taken to strengthen the validity and reliability associated with the survey are reported. Results provide empirical support for the proposed ten-factor structure used in the instrument. Estimates of internal consistency reliability are also given.
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prospective teachers' dispositi... more The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prospective teachers' dispositions and their achievement in a mathematics content course for elementary education majors. Research suggests that components of student dispositions with respect to mathematics can mediate learning via how students may or may not take advantage of opportunities to learn. Consequently, one might expect that there would be measurable differences in the relationship between students' dispositions and achievement in mathematics. A total of 107 prospective teachers who enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a midsized, mid-Atlantic university participated in this study by taking a researcher-designed survey, the Mathematics Dispositional Functions Inventory. Achievement was measured by the average of grades participants earned on two exams given in the mathematics course. Three achievement groups (high, moderate, and low) were determined based on the distribution of achievement scores. Results indicate that significant differences in prospective teachers' dispositions with respect to mathematics exist according to achievement in mathematics in two of the three primary categories of dispositional functioning, affective and conative, but not in the third category, dispositional cognitive functioning.
This study investigated the effects of a classroom intervention on prospective elementary teacher... more This study investigated the effects of a classroom intervention on prospective elementary teachers’ ability to evaluate evidence of student achievement of mathematical learning goals. The intervention was informed by a framework for teacher education which aims to provide prospective teachers (PTs) with the skills needed to systematically learn from their own teaching practice. Prospective teachers (N = 160) participated in an intervention
Abstract The purpose of this study is to document criteria used by pre-service middle school math... more Abstract The purpose of this study is to document criteria used by pre-service middle school mathematics teachers when evaluating the effectiveness of their mathematics instruction. 33 pre-service teachers either participated in interviews or completed open-ended questionnaires about the effectiveness of their instruction when implementing a common lesson plan designed to help students understand the division of fractions algorithm.
Presented here is a survey for the assessment of prospective elementary teachers" dispositions wi... more Presented here is a survey for the assessment of prospective elementary teachers" dispositions with respect to mathematics. From a review of the literature, it was found that many, and at times inconsistent, operationalizations of the disposition construct were being used to examine student dispositions with respect to mathematics. Presented here is a conceptual framework composed of three modes of dispositional functioning, cognitive, affective, and conative, comprising ten subcategories of dispositional functions. The proposed framework offers consistency to language used in previous work, as well as a "focused" lens for examining issues related to student dispositions. The proposed framework was used to guide the development of a survey, the Mathematics Dispositional Functions Inventory. Measures taken to strengthen the validity and reliability associated with the survey are reported. Results provide empirical support for the proposed ten-factor structure used in the instrument. Estimates of internal consistency reliability are also given.
We seek to understand how pre-service and novice teachers view the importance of STEM education i... more We seek to understand how pre-service and novice teachers view the importance of STEM education in the elementary grades. A sample of prospective and early career elementary teachers was surveyed using an anonymous online questionnaire. The questionnaire asked for demographic information and this prompt: “Is STEM education important at the elementary level? Why or why not?” A constant comparative approach was used to analyze responses to provide insights about respondents’ beliefs. We found that all participants responded that yes, STEM education was important at the elementary years, but that several themes emerged when considering reasons given, and that the types of responses given varied in terms of subject and complexity when comparing responses by respondents’ second major. These findings paint an initial picture of what future elementary STEM instruction might look like, insofar as teachers’ beliefs can influence instructional choices. Additionally, these findings may have im...
The purpose of this study is to document criteria used by pre-service middle school mathematics t... more The purpose of this study is to document criteria used by pre-service middle school mathematics teachers when evaluating the effectiveness of their mathematics instruction. 33 pre-service teachers either participated in interviews or completed open-ended questionnaires about the effectiveness of their instruction when implementing a common lesson plan designed to help students understand the division of fractions algorithm. Results demonstrate that these preservice teachers had a focus on student outcomes when ...
Mathematics Education Across Cultures: Proceedings of the 42nd Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 2020
Beginning to understand children’s mathematical dispositions during the preschool years may be be... more Beginning to understand children’s mathematical dispositions during the preschool years may be beneficial as early childhood experiences can predict student’s achievement in subsequent educational settings (Fleer & Raben, 2005). Findings suggest that mathematical dispositions can be related to academic success in mathematics (Beyers, 2011a, 2012; Kusmaryono, Suyitno, Dwijanto, & Dwidayati, 2019; O’Dell, 2017). However, there are relatively few studies examining mathematical dispositions among preschool-aged children. However, it is critical to explore the nature of these dispositions and corresponding behaviors at this stage of development, because these behaviors may be directly related to mathematical gains in subsequent educational settings (Hofer, Farran, & Cummings, 2013). The current study aims to address the question of whether preschoolaged children demonstrate observable mathematical dispositions in a pre-kindergarten school environment. The authors draw on a conceptual fra...
Presented here is a survey for the assessment of prospective elementary teachers" dispositions wi... more Presented here is a survey for the assessment of prospective elementary teachers" dispositions with respect to mathematics. From a review of the literature, it was found that many, and at times inconsistent, operationalizations of the disposition construct were being used to examine student dispositions with respect to mathematics. Presented here is a conceptual framework composed of three modes of dispositional functioning, cognitive, affective, and conative, comprising ten subcategories of dispositional functions. The proposed framework offers consistency to language used in previous work, as well as a "focused" lens for examining issues related to student dispositions. The proposed framework was used to guide the development of a survey, the Mathematics Dispositional Functions Inventory. Measures taken to strengthen the validity and reliability associated with the survey are reported. Results provide empirical support for the proposed ten-factor structure used in the instrument. Estimates of internal consistency reliability are also given.
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prospective teachers' dispositi... more The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prospective teachers' dispositions and their achievement in a mathematics content course for elementary education majors. Research suggests that components of student dispositions with respect to mathematics can mediate learning via how students may or may not take advantage of opportunities to learn. Consequently, one might expect that there would be measurable differences in the relationship between students' dispositions and achievement in mathematics. A total of 107 prospective teachers who enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a midsized, mid-Atlantic university participated in this study by taking a researcher-designed survey, the Mathematics Dispositional Functions Inventory. Achievement was measured by the average of grades participants earned on two exams given in the mathematics course. Three achievement groups (high, moderate, and low) were determined based on the distribution of achievement scores. Results indicate that significant differences in prospective teachers' dispositions with respect to mathematics exist according to achievement in mathematics in two of the three primary categories of dispositional functioning, affective and conative, but not in the third category, dispositional cognitive functioning.
This study investigated the effects of a classroom intervention on prospective elementary teacher... more This study investigated the effects of a classroom intervention on prospective elementary teachers’ ability to evaluate evidence of student achievement of mathematical learning goals. The intervention was informed by a framework for teacher education which aims to provide prospective teachers (PTs) with the skills needed to systematically learn from their own teaching practice. Prospective teachers (N = 160) participated in an intervention
Abstract The purpose of this study is to document criteria used by pre-service middle school math... more Abstract The purpose of this study is to document criteria used by pre-service middle school mathematics teachers when evaluating the effectiveness of their mathematics instruction. 33 pre-service teachers either participated in interviews or completed open-ended questionnaires about the effectiveness of their instruction when implementing a common lesson plan designed to help students understand the division of fractions algorithm.
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