Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs and Their Impact on Instructional Quality and Student Achievement

Teachers' beliefs about the nature of knowledge, learning and teaching are assumed to play a significant role in shaping teachers' instructional behaviour. Empirical studies have already shown that teachers' beliefs influence students' achievement. This paper examines the assumption that mathematics teachers' beliefs influence the quality of teaching, which in turn impacts students' learning. Longitudinal data were obtained from a sample of 155 mathematics teachers and their classes (3483 students) in the context of the German national extension to the PISA study (measurement points: end of 9(th) and 10(th) grade). Multi-level analyses showed that teacher beliefs ("transmission view") were substantially associated with basic instructional features (cognitive activation and learning support) and students' achievement, whereas the transmission view was associated with low cognitive activation and low achievement. To conclude, the transmission view proved to be disadvantageous for instructional quality and students' achievement and may be an encouraging starting point for interventions.