Relationship between Classroom Authority and Epistemological beliefs as Espoused by Primary School Mathematics Teachers from the Very High and Very Low Socio-economic Regions in Thailand

(doi: 10.14425/00.45.75)

Abstract

This article presents findings of a larger single-country comparative study which set out to better understand primary school teachers' mathematics education-related beliefs in Thailand. By combining the interview and observation data collected in the initial stage of this study with data gathered from the relevant literature, the 8-belief / 22-item 'Thai Teachers' Mathematics Education-related Beliefs' (TTMEB) Scale was developed. The results of the Mann-Whitney U Test showed that Thai teachers in the two examined socio-economic concerning the source and stability of mathematical knowledge, as well as classroom authority. Further, these three beliefs are found to be significantly and positively correlated.