Teacher perceptions of self-efficacy on number talks through professional development, 2025

Mathematics education has undergone many different changes over the centuries. Initially focused on rote skills and practice, the primary focus of the curriculum has now shifted to encompass mathematical practices put forth by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). These eight practices highlight problem-solving skills, mathematical models, open-ended discourse involving numbers and their relationship with operations, and the utilization of different tools and methods to solve problems (NCTM, 1989). Hoping to adhere to these practices set in the mathematics standards has caused educators to look for different pedagogical tools that help to foster them, infusing these techniques into their classroom. This mixed-methods study examined how a series of professional development (PD) on Number Talks, a mathematical pedagogical tool, can influence mathematics elementary educators’ self-efficacy. Number Talks are five-to-fifteen-minute conversations that revolve around a carefully crafted computation problem that students must solve mentally (Parrish, 2011). The study analyzed the extent to which this training increased teachers’ self-efficacy in implementing Number Talks, their perception of their ability to integrate this practice into their own classrooms, and in what ways educators interpret the given PD to carry out Number Talks. Through a quantitative survey, the Self-Efficacy of Teaching Mathematics Instrument (SETMI), individual interviews, and a field observation within the classroom, data revealed that the given PD affected the self-efficacy of teacher participants. This study can add new knowledge to the field of mathematics pedagogy, especially with Number Talks. Additionally, this study can help highlight any PD constructs that aid in increasing elementary teachers’ self-efficacy.