Relationship between Math Teachers’ Instructional Styles and Their Educational Philosophical Backgrounds

Abstract

The governance of a particular educational philosophy is indispensable for any developed nation in the sense of ruling and governing over its current and future political sociology. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationships between mathematics teachers' applied instructional styles and their identified educational philosophical backgrounds. The study was conducted on 124 math teachers working in secondary schools during the 2016-2017 education years. This study aims to use a quantitative research method through the "Philosophical Preference Rating Scale" and the "Teaching Style Scale". The evidence indicates that teachers prefer personal model the most and authoritative teaching style the least. However, it is also determined that these teachers have predominantly experimentalist philosophical backgrounds. The least preferred philosophical approach is the existentialist understanding. In addition, teachers are able to predict their teaching styles, especially from idealistic, realistic, and perennial philosophical points. These indications inform us further on how and why the means of education system has remained much the same while education policies have been reformed many times throughout the recent years in Turkey.