“I’ve Never Cooked with My Maths Teacher”—Moving Beyond Perceived Dualities in Mathematical Belief Research by Focusing on Adult Education

The affective domain of mathematics education, ranging from beliefs and attitudes to emotions, has been a frequent topic of discussion. However, in spite of some decades of research in this field, there are still a number of gaps and open questions, among them the field of adult education. This contribution focuses on one specific finding from a qualitative study describing the mathematical beliefs of eight adult education teachers in Switzerland. Illustrating three dualities identified in the participants’ data confirms the complexity of mathematical beliefs and it is argued that a focus on adult education teachers as well as a reflected use of research methods and instruments would be beneficial for the advancement of mathematical belief research, particularly the change of beliefs.