1. Teachers' epistemic beliefs !
about MKT definitions
Reidar Mosvold and Janne Fauskanger

2. Overview
• Title of our paper: Teachers' knowledge of
mathematical definitions: What they need to
know, and what they think they need to know!
• RQ: What do teachers' reflections on MKT items
reveal about their epistemic beliefs concerning
mathematical knowledge for teaching definitions?!
!
!
In our paper, 'epistemic beliefs' refer to teachers' domain-specific
beliefs about knowledge and knowing (MKT definitions)

3. Methods
• Focus group interviews (7)!
• Fifteen participating teachers!
• New analysis of data!
• Content analysis of transcriptions (two
independent)!
• Word counts, key words in context, emerging
categories, qualitative analysis and discussions

4. Results
• Definitions and related terms were discussed in
all interviews!
• All interviews contained negative statements!
• All but one interview contained positive
statements

5. Positive statement

6. Negative statement

7. Results #2
• Knowledge of definitions is an important pre-
requisite!
• Remembering the definitions is not an important
part of teachers' knowledge!
• Definitions are more important in the higher
grades!
• Correct definitions might be confusing to
students

8. Conclusions
• Knowledge of definitions is important!
• ... but remembering the definitions is not!

9. Questions for further discussion
• Answers to multiple-choice items + written
reflections—potentials, limitations, suggestions?!
• FGI with MKT items as starting point—
possibilities, limitations, analysis, theory?

10. And, that's all...
• Thanks for listening!!
• Our website: http://ukm-stavanger.info!
• My website: http://rmosvold.com !
• My email: reidar.mosvold@uis.no !
• Twitter: @rmosvold

11. The egg

12. Tasks of teaching

13. Example item

14. Background
• Norwegian MKT project (2008-2012)!
• Translating and adapting items!
• Tests and focus group interviews!
• PD course!
• International collaboration!
• There's something about these tasks of
teaching...

15. Some relevant publications
• NPT 2008 (knowledge and beliefs, MKT)!
• AERA 2009 and NOMAD 2009 (challenges of
translation)!
• NPT 2010 (challenges of adaptation)!
• NOMAD 2011 (challenges of format)!
• TME 2012 (cultural challenges)!
• ZDM 2012 (IRT and ongoing adaptation)!
• AERA 2012 (epistemic beliefs about MKT)

16. Implications and suggestions
• MKT and beliefs!
• FGIs about particular tasks of teaching!
• Cultural differences in teachers' beliefs about
MKT!
• Cultural differences regarding the tasks of
teaching!
• Curriculum material, beliefs, MKT, ... Cultural
aspects