Maths instruction in vocational high school from teachers and students’ eyes: a different kettle of fish

Abstract

Mathematics course in vocational high school education is significant worldwide to equip vocational students with the technical and personal skills that are required for the effective workforce as discussed in the context of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. The present research sets out to investigate 20 Turkish maths teachers’ belief and instructional practices through comparing vocational students’ perceptions for mathematics instruction and the researcher’s observation in a state vocational high school, which is under- researched. 20 maths teachers and 161 students participated in this longitudinal study (n=181). Mixed methods were used, and three types of data were collected as follows: questionnaires, interviews and observation for triangulation of data and methods t for the reliability and validity of the study. The findings indicated that maths teachers’ belief and practices were not consistent when compared with the questionnaire and interview data collected from vocational students, and also observation carried out by the researcher. Keywords: mathematics education, vocational high school, vocational students, beliefs and practices