Modelling in the Classroom: Obstacles from the Teacher’s Perspective

Abstract

Modelling is not only written into educational standards throughout Germany; other European countries also demand the integration of reality-based, problem-solving tasks into school mathematics. In reality, however, things look quite different: in many places mathematics lessons are still dominated by exercises in simple calculation. So why? What is stopping teachers from introducing modelling? In order to explore this issue in depth, an empirical study was conducted. A 55-item questionnaire to investigate teachers’ perspectives on mathematical modelling in classrooms was developed and refined. A sample of 101 teachers, 52 of whom had undergone a training programme in modelling, completed the questionnaire. Major factors perceived by teachers as hindrances to using modelling were lack of time, assessment of performance and lack of materials.