Page 69 - Children’s mathematical development and learning needs in perspective of teachers’ use of dynamic math interviews

Impact of child and teacher factors on mathematical development
provide the best opportunities for children to learn mathematics early and feel confident about their mathematics learning.
Conclusion
This study is one of the first to examine the joint influences of several child and teacher factors on children’s mathematical development over the course of a school year while distinguishing basic arithmetic fluency from more abstract mathematical problem-solving.
The findings support the assumption that children’s math self- concept can clearly influence their mathematical development and, in particular, the development of their arithmetic fluency in fourth grade. Children’s prior mathematics achievement was consistently the best predictor of their later mathematics achievement in the various models tested by us. Establishment of a solid mathematical foundation early in elementary school is thus critical for the subsequent development of children’s mathematical knowledge and skill.
As might be expected, the teachers’ own mathematical knowledge played an important role in the children’s mathematical development in the present study, in particular in the development of mathematical problem-solving. Actual mathematics teaching behavior during a mathematics lesson, however, was negatively associated with the development of both the children’s arithmetic fluency and mathematical problem-solving. In addition, the teachers’ mathematics teaching self-efficacy negatively related to the children’s mathematical problem-solving. These unexpected results with regard to the influence of specific teacher factors and self-perceptions on elementary school children’s mathematical development raise some intriguing questions about the classroom teaching of mathematics. How can teachers better attune their teaching to the mathematics levels and needs of the children in their classrooms? How can teachers become more conscious of their mathematics teaching behavior, enhance their mathematics teaching competence, and become more confident about their mathematics teaching in the end?
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