Dissertation work on Finnish teachers’ mathematical beliefs and pedagogical teaching approaches of Languaging in primary schools Grades 1–6

Global and national declines in primary students’ mathematics performance and interest call for closer examination of classroom teaching and learning. Despite curricular emphases on active, meaning-making learning, Finnish mathematics classrooms often remain teacher-centered, limiting dialogic interaction. These tensions reflect the interplay between teachers’ mathematical beliefs and pedagogical approaches. This dissertation addresses these challenges through Languaging, conceptualized as a pedagogical approach in which students express mathematical thinking using verbal, visual, symbolic, and embodied forms of expression within social interaction.

The dissertation adopts a multi-methods design comprising four interrelated studies: a systematic literature review (Study I), a qualitative study of pre-service class teachers’ (PCTs) belief formation (Study II), a convergent mixed-methods intervention study on beliefs and attitudes (Study III), and a qualitative multiple-case study of in-service class teachers’ (ICTs) belief development and Languaging practices (Study IV). Two research questions guide the study: (RQ1) How do teachers’ prior experiences relate to the formation and evolution of mathematical beliefs? and (RQ2) How does Languaging mediate the relationship between beliefs and mathematics teaching practices?

Building on the synthesized findings related to these research questions, the paper discusses two overarching themes: (1) interpreting the experience–belief–(future) practice nexus through a layered analytical lens, and (2) the development of Languaging pedagogy as a bidirectional mediating process between beliefs and instructional practice. Through its theoretical, methodological, empirical, and practical implications, the dissertation contributes to pre-service class teachers, teacher educators, in-service teachers and school leaders, curriculum developers and policymakers, and researchers seeking clarified constructs, cross-stage analyses of belief development, and methodological models that integrate metaphor analysis, mixed methods, and classroom-based inquiry. Although the empirical work is situated in Finland, the conceptual, methodological, and pedagogical insights have international relevance for strengthening equity and engagement in mathematics learning.

References

Hannula, M. S. (2012). Exploring new dimensions of mathematics-related affect: Embodied and social theories. Research in Mathematics Education, 14(2), 137–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2012.694281

Joutsenlahti, J., & Perkkilä, P. (2022). Mathematical thinking and understanding in learning of mathematics. LUMAT: International Journal on Math, Science and Technology Education, 10(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.31129/LUMAT.10.2.1824

Planas, N., & Pimm, D. (2024). Mathematics education research on language and on communication including some distinctions: Where are we now? ZDM Mathematics Education, 56(1), 127–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-023-01497-0