Teachers’ beliefs and instructional quality of Languaging in primary school mathematics

Despite its inclusion in the Finnish national curriculum, the Languaging approach— teaching mathematics through diverse tools and interactive activities—remains challenging to implement in practice. Teachers’ beliefs shaped by prior schooling and the decontextualization of Languaging in local curricula can hinder interpretation and enactment. This study examined primary teachers’ beliefs development, their interpreted curricula around Languaging, and the enacted curricula as evidenced in classroom instructional quality. Using a qualitative multiple-case design, we purposively sampled six teachers who actively integrate Languaging; data collection included surveys, interviews, classroom observations with field notes. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically within and across cases; quantitative rubric scores (1–4) were summarized with medians. Findings indicate that teachers’ beliefs are shaped by personal learning histories and evolve through reflective engagement with Languaging. The interpreted curricula commonly emphasized foundational knowledge and skills, as well as the relevance of mathematics in daily life. The enacted curricula showed high and stable performance in functional learning environment, purposeful material use, and teacher-led multiple representations, alongside lower and more variable performance in student-generated representations, sustained conceptual press, and differentiation. The discussion identifies implications for teachers, teacher educators, local curriculum developers, and policymakers.