HAMBATAN SISWA DALAM BELAJAR MATEMATIKA DIKAJI DARI KEPERCAYAAN MATEMATIS

The purpose of this study was to find out the learning obstacles in linear program assessed by mathematical beliefs at the Mujahidin Senior High School. The form of research used in this study is a case study. The data source used in this study was the students of class XI MIPA 1 in Pontianak Mujahidin High School, the data of which were the results of students' mathematical belief questionnaires and the answers of research subjects on the given test. Students learning obstacles in linear program material revealed in this study were assessed from mathematical beliefs including: students with mathematical beliefs in believing about mathematical characteristics have obstacles in the form of not being able to determine the mathematical model of linear program because he not understand teacher explanations, students with mathematical belief in believing about self abilitiy have an obstacles like not being able to mention the benefits of a linear program, students with mathematical beliefs in believing about teaching mathematics experience obstacles like not being able to make mathematical models correctly and the last is students with mathematical beliefs in believing about the usefulness of mathematics experiencing obstacles like not being able to make mathematical models because forget..

Early-years future teachers’ mathematical beliefs as determinants of performance in primary mathematics

One construct that lies in between the cognitive and affective domains of mathematics education is belief and this concept is rarely investigated in the Nigerian mathematics education community. Thus, an investigation of early-years future teachers’ mathematical beliefs as determinants of performance in primary mathematics within the blueprint of the quantitative method of the descriptive survey research design was conducted. Three research questions were addressed and secondary data relating to performance in mathematics of 320 early-years future teachers were retrieved from their records at the Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education, University of Lagos, Nigeria. One other instrument labeled Mathematical Beliefs Scale was employed for the collection of key data connected to the mathematical beliefs. The collected data were condensed and explored with the principal components factor analysis, multiple regression analysis, and independent samples t-test. Results showed that mathematical beliefs measured using the Mathematical Beliefs Scale are a multidimensional construct with four-factor structure: emotional and developmental commitment in learning of mathematics; self-assurance and philosophies concerning one's subjective mathematical aptitude; beliefs about mathematics; and mathematical problem-solving beliefs. These factors show adequate and excellent reliabilities as computed using Cronbach alpha. Also, gender was not a factor in early-years future teachers' mathematical beliefs even at the subscale level and the four factors of the mathematical belief scale predicted early-years future teachers' performance in primary mathematics. In line with these results, it is recommended that early-years future teachers be taught in a constructivist manner so that they can imbibe constructivist beliefs capable of engendering better learning of mathematics.

Level-Crossing Principles

This chapter introduces normative externalism about epistemology. It takes what is central to normative externalism to be the denial of level-crossing principles. A level-crossing principle says there is a necessary connection between the propriety of a belief (in some sense of propriety), and the propriety of believing that very belief to be proper. The main theme of this part is outlined: level-crossing principles are inconsistent with evidentialism, and it is level-crossing principles, not evidentialism, that should be abandoned. The chapter also discusses the relationship between state-level evaluations, like the rationality of a belief, and agent-level evaluations, like the wisdom of a believer. And it briefly discusses the role of evidence in mathematics, and how the kind of evidentialism I favor extends to mathematical belief.