Validation of a questionnaire to evaluate mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics, teaching, and learning

Abstract

The study of mathematics teachers’ beliefs has become a significant research area in recent decades; however, more robust and reliable instruments are needed to assess these beliefs. This paper reports the design and validation of a multiple-choice questionnaire to assess mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics, teaching, and learning. It began with a systematic review of existing questionnaires, followed by an evaluation of the instrument’s content validity using Aiken’s V by seven expert judges. Finally, a total of 199 in-service mathematics teachers completed the instrument, demonstrating construct validity through confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency. These results indicate that the instrument is reliable and valid for assessing mathematics teachers’ beliefs and identifying three teaching profiles: instrumentalists, platonists, and problem-solving.