Counting on Experience: Preschool teachers’ experiences and beliefs about math

• In Event: 30821 - Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 2

Abstract

Math achievement outcomes and STEM career disparities permeate society and persist across race, gender, and class lines (OECD, 2017). Teachers play a key role in shaping early math learning by communicating their own beliefs and attitudes about math, which impacts students’ own math achievement and attitudes (Ramirez et al., 2018). However, teachers often have high levels of math anxiety and feel less comfortable teaching math than subjects like literacy (Brenneman et al., 2009; Richland et al., 2020). This puts them in a position to encourage or discourage students’ identification with math, depending on their own perception of students and beliefs about who can learn math (Hand, 2012; Upadyaya & Eccles, 2015). To investigate teachers’ attitudes and beliefs, this study uses data from the On Track program, which supports preschool teachers as they assess and provide individualized math instruction to their students. Thirty-three teachers who were involved with the program were interviewed and the transcripts were coded and analyzed. From examining teachers’ personal experiences and knowledge and confidence about teaching, we find that teachers frequently lean on their own experiences learning math to make sense of how to implement math practices in the classroom. Teachers who are prepared to engage in math without recreating deleterious attitudes can create learning environments that support students’ achievement and involvement in math.

Author

• Abigail Grace Walter, University of Chicago