Vietnamese high school teacher's conception of mathematics

Abstract

One of the possible ways to increase the performance of mathematics among high school students is by equipping the teachers with their mathematical abilities to learn and capabilities to deliver mathematical instruction to their students confidently. These teachers must understand profoundly the mathematics they are teaching and possess great skills to use that knowledge in the teaching of mathematics. They must have positive perceptions towards mathematics as their perceptions towards mathematics and their abilities to solve problems influence their classroom practices, teaching techniques, and students' achievement. Previous studies reported that teachers' overall perceptions of mathematics can be considered either algorithmic or coherence in three fields of “nature mathematic”, “teaching mathematic” and “learning mathematic”. Each type of perception brings a significant result to the overall teaching and learning and eventually students' achievement. This quantitative study investigated teachers' perceptions of mathematics. A total of 219 randomly selected high school mathematics teachers from various zones in Vietnam participated in this study. The instrument was developed to seek teachers' perceptions of i) nature mathematics, ii) teaching mathematics, and iii) learning mathematics. This questionnaire was adapted from TIMSS and adjusted to suit the Vietnamese context. The quantitative data were analysed using Rasch measurement model through item measure analysis. The study found that Vietnamese high school mathematics teachers tend to interpret mathematics as an algorithmic rather than as a coherent in “nature mathematic”; the contract result for “teaching Mathematic” and respondents supported both sides for “learning mathematic”. The finding of this study provides information in the effort to explain the relationship between teachers' perceptions and students' achievement outcomes in the context of Vietnam.