Mathematics in Perception of Pupils and Teachers

The presented study shows the possibilities of increasing the teacher’s professional competencies using focused self-reflection on the basis of confrontation of his or her own ideas, expectations and observations with data obtained mostly from the statements of pupils. The study is based on the results of research carried out in the Czech Republic (sample: 3108 pupils from 25 elementary schools and 179 teachers of these pupils). The attitudes towards mathematics from the point of view of pupils were analyzed, as well as the teachers’ perceptions of pupils’ attitudes. The monitored variables are: popularity, difficulty, and importance of the subject, self-reflection of one’s own talent for the subject, how interesting pupils find the subject, and their motivation and diligence in mathematics, complemented by the pupils grades and teachers’ evaluation of each pupil’s performance in mathematics. The study also provides examples of the trend of German pedagogical-psychological research and shows the parallels and possible directions of comparative research in the given area.