Comparing Malaysian secondary school teachers’ and students’ values in mathematics learning: A mixed method study

Hui Min CHIA, Qiaoping ZHANG

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

Abstract

Teachers’ and students’ values influenced the teaching and learning process in the mathematics classroom. Few studies were conducted to compare teachers’ and students’ value in mathematics learning. This paper explores Malaysian mathematics teachers’ and students’ values in mathematics learning. Fifty-three mathematics teachers and 354 secondary school students participated in the online survey. This study reports ten semantic differential items and an open-ended question related to mathematics learning. An independent t-test was conducted on the semantic differential items. Thematic coding analysis was performed to code the open-ended questions based on the framework of three intersecting values: mathematical values (the discipline), mathematics educational values (the pedagogy), and general educational values (the ethical and moral principles). The findings showed significant mean differences in mathematics educational values between teachers and students. No significant difference was found in mathematical values between teachers and students. Moreover, the qualitative data confirmed the similarities in mathematical values and differences in mathematics educational values between teachers and students. The current study also discusses possible reasons for the differences in teachers’ and students’ values. The findings imply that teachers’ and students’ values are crucial in enhancing teaching and learning in the mathematics classroom. Copyright © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1697-1715
JournalInternational Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology
Volume54
Issue number8
Early online dateMay 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Citation

Chia, H. M., & Zhang, Q. (2023). Comparing Malaysian secondary school teachers’ and students’ values in mathematics learning: A mixed method study. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 54(8), 1697-1715. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2023.2204103

Keywords

  • Values in mathematics education
  • Secondary mathematics teachers
  • Mathematics learning
  • PG student publication

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