Federica Siddu

(Tutor: Prof. Francesco Paoli)

Abstract of the doctoral project “Self-efficacy, epistemological beliefs, and metacognition in primary school teachers: effects of a training intervention and comparison with lesson study”:

“International research has shown that mathematics teaching practices and attitudes are deeply shaped by non-cognitive dimensions such as teachers’ implicit epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy and metacognitive processes (Ernest, 1991; Schoenfeld, 2016; Di Martino & Zan, 2010, 2011). These beliefs, which are often tacit and not explicitly articulated, guide everyday instructional choices and contribute to the transmission of either a static or a dynamic view of mathematics. Research on mathematics teaching self-efficacy has highlighted its role in shaping instructional expectations and classroom practices (Enochs, Smith & Huinker, 2000), while more recent studies suggest that targeted professional development can foster reflective transformations of teachers’ beliefs and attitudes (Panero et al., 2020). Moreover, Lesson Study has been widely recognised as an effective model of professional development based on collaborative reflection on practice (Lewis, 2002; Dudley, 2014; Bartolini Bussi & Ramploud, 2018).

Building on this theoretical framework, the project aims to investigate the relationships between self-efficacy, implicit epistemological beliefs and metacognition in primary school teachers by comparing a structured training intervention explicitly designed to surface and re-elaborate such beliefs with a Lesson Study pathway and a passive control group, also examining indirect effects on students’ mathematical achievement and attitudes.”