Latest research article by Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai (Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Reading) which helps to dispel myths about gender differences in the way male and female teachers perceive mathematics has recently been published in Frontiers in Education journal. The article is available free of charge here, thanks to the University of Reading’s Open Access funding.
The article, titled ‘Mathematical Epistemic Beliefs: Through the Gender Lens’, reports findings of Dr. Trakulphadetkrai’s large survey study which set out to ascertain whether gender differences in teachers’ mathematical epistemic beliefs (i.e., beliefs about the nature of mathematical knowledge) exist, and the extent to which teachers’ gender as well as their teaching experience level, education level, and socio-economic setting of the schools can predict these beliefs. This is crucial given that previous research have demonstrated the potential role of teachers’ mathematical epistemic beliefs in shaping their mathematics teaching, and hence their students’ mathematics learning outcomes and perceptions of the subject.
The study examined 745 primary school teachers’ beliefs concerning the structure, stability, and source of mathematical knowledge. The findings reveal a very limited to no effect of gender on teachers’ mathematical epistemic beliefs, and also alert us to the fact that when it comes to exploring factors that shape one’s beliefs, their exogenous characteristics, such as the socio-economic setting of where they live and work, should too be taken into account.
This article is part of the journal’s special issue (‘Negotiating a Sense of Self in Gender and Education’) edited by Prof. Carol Fuller, Suzy Tutchell and Dr. Madeleine Davies (University of Reading). While Dr. Trakulphadetkrai’s article is already available on-line, the special issue in its entirety will be published later this year.
To learn more about Dr. Trakulphadetkrai’s research interests, click here. He tweets at @NatthapojVinceT.
