A Model of the Effects of Change in Teachers’ Beliefs in Mathematical Problem Solving in Malaysia

Many previous studies have reported that the term problem solving has been fully investigated in developed countries as can be seen in the work of earlier famous authors and majority of them agreed that a problem occurs only when someone is confronted with a difficulty for which an immediate answer is not available. In short, problem solving refers to the effort needed in achieving a goal or finding a solution when no automatic solution is available. It has however, been identified that there has been little research on mathematical problem solving in developing and newly industrialized nations especially in Malaysia. This research specifically seeks to look into a model of the effects of change in teachers’ beliefs in mathematical problem solving in Malaysia. In this study, a few research questions are asked based on the research objectives and hypothesis formulated to tackle the questions. The methodology adopted in this study is quantitative while the statistical package for social sciences is utilized for analyzing the data. Considering the aforementioned findings from analysis of questionnaires the study concludes that; male and female prospective mathematics teachers differ in the way they view the importance of technology usage in solving mathematical problems, that prospective mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematical problem solving have strong connection to their study level and prospective teachers have both traditional and contemporary views about mathematical problem solving. Hence, the study together with its findings will serve as a guideline to explain and provide empirical evidence which will help in revealing the effects of student teacher’s beliefs on mathematical problem solving hence will enable educational policy makers and other interest parties take appropriate decision