Examining the Contributions of Knowledge and Constructivist Beliefs on Filipino Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Intentions to Use Real-Life Tasks

In response to current educational reforms in the Philippines, mathematics instruction has increasingly emphasized contextualized learning and the use of practical, real-world tasks. This study examined how pre-service mathematics teachers’ knowledge and beliefs relate to their intention to incorporate real-life tasks into future teaching. Participants were 746 pre-service mathematics teachers from 11 teacher education institutions in the Philippines. The results showed that constructivist beliefs and self-efficacy beliefs were significantly associated with pre-service teachers’ intentions to use real-life tasks in mathematics instruction. Content knowledge also contributed to instructional intention both directly and indirectly. In contrast, pedagogical knowledge was not significantly related to instructional intention. These findings suggest that pre-service teachers’ beliefs may be more influential than their measured knowledge base in shaping reform-oriented teaching intentions. Teacher education programs should therefore move beyond strengthening content and pedagogical knowledge alone and should also cultivate constructivist beliefs and teaching self-efficacy. Recommendations are offered for improving pre-service teachers’ preparation to implement real-life tasks in mathematics instruction.