The cycle of reform in mathematics education and teachers' perceptions of their profession: A case of a selected group of teachers in California.

摘要

In their comprehensive analysis of school mathematics education from the beginning the “new math” movement in the 1950s to the start of the current reform efforts in the 1980s, Fey and Graeber (in press) contend, “the direction of curricula and teaching in elementary and secondary school mathematics has a predictable rhythm of crisis-reform-reaction episodes” (p. 1). In this dissertation research, I examine a selected group of teachers' understandings of reform and the possible impact of the cycle of reform on their attitudes about their profession. The teachers were all participants in the San Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project, a professional development experience supporting progressive reform efforts in California during the 1990's. The teachers responded to a survey and follow-up interviews were conducted with a representative sample. Both the qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using Hall's (1968) attitudinal attributes of a profession as a conceptual framework. The results of these analyses suggest that this selected group of mathematics teachers do not view their profession highly in the areas of autonomy and self-regulation. The findings also indicate that these teachers were supportive of the reform movement, but felt “left out” of the decision-making process, especially when the reform movement ended. I speculate that if cycles of reform continue in mathematics education, teachers may become less willing to be involved with future reform efforts. Furthermore, I contend that cycles of reform may lead to a decrease in teacher morale, which may in turn lead to teachers leaving the profession, thus further exacerbating the impending teacher shortage.