Exploring Mathematical Values Held by High School Mathematics Teachers

This current study explored mathematical values espoused by senior high school (SHS) mathematics teachers in mathematics teaching and learning in a municipality in Ghana. In achieving this aim, we employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. In the quantitative study, a census was employed to include all 53 SHS mathematics teachers in a municipality. For the qualitative phase, purposive sampling was used to select six SHS mathematics teachers recruited to complete a ‘What I Find Important (WIFI) in my mathematics learning’ questionnaire in the quantitative phase to participate in interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed using inferential statistics (principal components analysis [PCA] with Oblimin rotation and one-way multivariate analysis of variance [MANOVA]). On the other hand, the qualitative data was analyzed using a thematic analysis. Among Bishop’s six-value cluster, the findings revealed that SHS mathematics teachers preferred mathematical values of rationalism, progress , and control in mathematics teaching. Notwithstanding, there was no statistically significant disparity in what SHS mathematics teachers value across class levels. Implications for practice and future research are reported.