| The teaching effectiveness depends directly on teachers’Behaveor in the classroom, which, however, is dominated by a wide variety of internal and external factors, including educational beliefs or epistemological beliefs. So it always is the important goal of teacher education to help the normal students or service teachers to establishment advanced teaching ideas and epistemological beliefs, to develop good teaching habits. The stability characteristics which owned by epistemological beliefs make it difficult for epistemological beliefs to be updated or be cultivated. In other words, in order to achieve the goal, we must accept the guidance of epistemological beliefs theory in the course of educational practice. It shows that it is an important task for educational researcher to explore and clear the law of development of epistemological beliefs and the relationship between epistemological beliefs and teaching behavior. It has very important practical significance to further improve epistemological beliefs theory, whether for improving the quality of teacher education or for deepening the reform of basic education. So I chose this issue as a research topic. I had used the research methods of combining theoretical speculation and quantitative research methods in the study.In the theoretical discussion section, based on view of the western epistemology and philosophy of mathematics, I have built a more realistic, more reasonable theoretical structural model, which could be used to measure personal epistemological beliefs structures, and I have analyzed the relationship between mathematics epistemological beliefs and teaching behavior. In the empirical research, according to previously-constructed theoretical model, I designed Middle School Mathematics Teachers Epistemological Belief System Questionnaire(MTEBQ) and Middle School Mathematics Teachers’Teaching Behavior Questionnaire(MTTBQ) again, which are the tools for collecting data, and I had surveyed or investigated sample teachers by questionnaire, interviews and classroom observation, and then I had analyzed data statistically.The main conclusions of this study are as follows:1.Theoretical structure of math epistemological belief system. Math Epistemologi-cal belief system are composed of five dimensions, namely, the structure(relevance), the stability, the source, the verification, the value of mathematical knowledge. Each of dimension contains three orientations, namely, tradition tendency, popularity tendency and merger tendency. Among them, merger tendency is existing in people’s minds widely, and it is more reasonable then the others.2. Theoretical tendency structure of all kinds of classroom teaching behavior.Each teaching behavior could be divided into three levels or three tendencies, namely, conservative tendencies, open tendency and moderate tendency. Among them, moderate tendency is existing in the teaching practice, and it is more appropriate then the others.3. Constraints of math epistemological belief on teaching behavior(1) The factors, which restrict the middle school math teacher’teaching behavior, are complex. Some are external factors, while others are internal factors.Among them,他he math epistemological belief is one of the important factors which always restricts their teaching behavior. In the teaching situation with which teachers are not familiar completely, its influence on teaching behavior is larger, or is as much as the influence of the mathematics learning concept, but is less than those, including Entrance examination system, work motivation, and so on. In this teaching situation, the math epistemological belief is one of important basis, which is followed by teachers when making Instructional decisions. In the teaching situation with which teachers are familiar, its influence on teaching behavior is smaller than teaching experience or teaching habits. In this teaching situation, its constraints on teaching behavior is indirect and Recessive, it play its role by teaching experience teaching habits.(2) Significant correlation relationship is existing between math epistemological belief and teaching behavior, and the relevance varies with types of teachers.The influence math epistemological belief on teaching behavior changes with those factors, such as seniority, education, job title, etc..(3) If middle school math teachers hold the merger, traditional or modern tendency on each dimension of math epistemological belief system, then the tendency of their teaching behavior is likely to moderate, Conservative or Open tendency.(4) These factors, such as gender, Seniority, the junior middle school or high school, the backbone or non-backbone, and so on, would produce influence on the rationality of math epistemological belief and the appropriateness of teaching behavior in varying degrees.4. Status quo of math epistemological belief of middle school math teacher On the whole, the tendency of math epistemological belief of middle school math teacher are close to merger tendency, and are rational in general. Considering single dimension, except for structure dimension of mathematical knowledge, the tendencies of math epistemological belief of middle school math teacher are close to merger tendency on the other dimension, and are more reasonable. But on the dimension of the structure of mathematical knowledge, the tendency of math epistemological belief of middle school math teacher are close to opening a tendency In general,so are not entirely reasonable.5. Status quo of classroom teaching behavior of middle school math teacherOn the whole, tendency of classroom teaching behavior of middle school math teachers is close to moderate tendency, and is basically appropriate. Considering single dimension, except for the behavior tendency in classroom questioning dimension, the others is closer to moderate tendency, and is basically appropriate. In the questioning dimension, teachers’tendency is closer to open tendency, and is not very appropriate.6. Characteristics of math epistemological belief and teaching behavior of outstanding mathematics teacher(1) In math epistemological belief, the outstanding mathematics teacher general-ly believe:mathematical knowledge come from the experience or from the logical deduction; mathematical truths are tested by not only social practice but also logical reasoning; the value of mathematical knowledge lies in training people’s thinking or solving practical problems.(2) The teaching behavior of outstanding mathematics teacher is characterized as follows:classroom management is more democratic; the key content are shown on the blackboard, and its component is appropriate; heuristic explanation is often used in example demonstrations; the frequency questioning relatively is high. |
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