Study Of Middle School Math Teacher's Conception Of Mathematics And Its Internal Factors

People's understanding of mathematics impels the development of mathematics and mathematics education. Teachers' mathematics beliefs impact greatly on their teaching of mathematics, their students' beliefs about mathematics and learning of mathematics.According to the literature review of the related studies, there are a few researches on the structures, types and influencing factors of teachers' beliefs about mathematics. In this research we used the questionnaire survey. Based on describing the actuality of mathematics beliefs of middle school teachers in more developed region of our country, we discussed the structure and classification of teachers' mathematics beliefs by factor analysis and cluster analysis. We tried to give a full picture of the inner factors that influence teachers' mathematics beliefs. Moreover, we hope the conclusions of this research will be helpful for in-service teachers' education and teachers' professional development.The conclusions are as follows:1. Fallibilist view has been being accepted by the majority of middle school mathematic teachers.2. Cluster analysis revealed four relatively homogeneous groups of teachers: typical absolutist; typical fallibilist; combination of Platonist, problem solving and instrumentalist; the other.3. The teachers' backgrounds that includes teachers' age, teaching age, gender and their teaching grades, don't affect their views of mathematics. However, their working district, academic degree, title of professional post may affect their conceptions of mathematics.4. The factors of teachers' experience influence teachers' beliefs about mathematics in turn are: mathematics reading, interaction with students, experience as a student, influence by experienced teachers and in-service teacher training. There is no significant correlation between teachers' teaching experience and their mathematics beliefs.5. Teachers' activity and ability are significantly correlated to their mathematics beliefs. This study also indicated that, teachers' self- reflection consciousness and self-reflection ability were positive correlated with the problem-solving view significantly.Implications for in-service teachers' education programs are discussed and suggestions for teachers' professional development are drawn as follows:1. In teachers' pre-service education, we should not neglect mathematics belief education. And in the in-service education, teachers' understanding of mathematics philosophy ought to be reinforced. 2. To improve our understanding of mathematics by ourselves as a teacher, we should strengthen our reflective consciousness, improve our reflective ability, and form a good habit of self-reflection. Moreover, we should pay more attention to mathematics philosophy in studying the conception of the new curriculum.