| Although the motivational factors that underlie the process of mathematics teacher change have been under study for more than thirty years, the role of one of the factors in this process, a teacher's implicit theory regarding mathematical ability, has not been well examined. The implicit theories model posits that an individual's implicit assumptions about the nature of an ability lead directly to the type of goals he sets regarding that ability and the behaviors in which he engages to pursue these goals. Those that espouse an incremental theory tend to establish learning goals and focus on strategies that lead to the improvement of the ability in question. These individuals are said to have a growth mindset.;The purpose of this study was to explore the role of a teacher's mindset within the contexts of the teacher's professional development experiences and answer the research question: How do characteristics of the growth mindset influence a mathematics teacher's interpretations and enactments of professional development experiences, if at all? A holistic single-case study design was implemented to examine elements of an elementary mathematics teacher's change environment as she observed, adapted, and enacted a demonstration lesson from a professional development program into her own classroom. The study examined aspects of this environment including the teacher's beliefs and mindset regarding mathematics and the teaching and learning of mathematics, her classroom teaching practices, her perceptions of her past experiences in professional development, her areas of focus during the demonstration lesson, and her experiences and reflections as she implemented the demonstration lesson in her classroom. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.). |
