Teacher perceptions of the mathematical potential of students in special education in the Netherlands |
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| Authors: | Marjolijn Peltenburg Marja van den Heuvel-Panhuizen |
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| Institution: | 1. Freudenthal Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Utrecht University , Utrecht , The Netherlands m.peltenburg@uu.nl;3. Freudenthal Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Utrecht University , Utrecht , The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Research has shown that high expectations of teachers about their students’ academic development have a positive influence on how these students actually develop. Therefore, when aiming to improve students’ learning results it is essential to know how teachers think about their students’ abilities. The present study was meant to investigate what perceptions primary school teachers in special education have of their students’ potential in mathematics and what possibilities they see to reveal this potential. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Surprisingly, the responses showed that, although the teachers teach students with low achievement scores in mathematics, most of the teachers were positive about the mathematical potential of their students. The teachers often attributed unused potential to causes outside the student and they underpinned this view with observations from school practice. The article concludes with discussing the consequences of these findings for the professional development of teachers. |
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| Keywords: | teacher perceptions teacher expectations primary special education student abilities online teacher survey |
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