How Education Affects Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge: Unpacking Selected Aspects of Teacher Knowledge

Mika Koponen; Mervi A Asikainen; Antti Viholainen; Pekka E Hirvonen

doi:10.12973/eurasia.2017.01209a

Full Text (PDF)

Mika Koponen ¹ ^* , Mervi A Asikainen ¹, Antti Viholainen ¹, Pekka E Hirvonen ¹

More Detail

¹ University of Eastern Finland^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Background:
It is no surprise that all mathematics teacher education programs attempt to increase future teachers’ knowledge, since teachers’ knowledge has an effect not only on their teaching but also on their students’ achievements. However, measuring the relationship between teachers’ knowledge and their education is overly demanding.

Material and methods:
In this study we unpacked a selection of aspects of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) and created a 72-item survey that would measure teacher educators’ and graduated teachers’ perceptions of what graduated teachers have learned well or less well during teacher education. The data were collected under the auspices of the University of Eastern Finland.

Results:
According to the results, Subject matter knowledge and Pedagogical content knowledge receive similar emphases in the teacher education program, but certain fields of teacher knowledge, such as Common content knowledge, receive a greater emphasis than others.

Conclusions:
The approach described here provides a simple way of investigating this demanding phenomenon, and hence the limitations and the possibilities of the study will be discussed in detail.

Keywords

mathematical knowledge for teaching
MKT
teacher education
evaluation

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 13, Issue 6, June 2017, 1943-1980

https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.01209a

Publication date: 15 Jun 2017

Article Views: 2423

Article Downloads: 1797

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Ball, D. & Forzani, F. (2009). The work of teaching and the challenge for teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 60(5), 497-511.
Ball, D. L. & Bass, H. (2009). With an eye on the mathematical horizon: Knowing mathematics for teaching to learners’ mathematical futures. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved from https://eldorado.tudortmund.de/bitstream/2003/31305/1/003.pdf
Ball, D. L. (2003). What mathematical knowledge is needed for teaching mathematics? Paper presented at the US Department of Education, Secretary's Mathematics Summit, Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.uen.org/utahstandardsacademy/math/downloads/level-1/3-1- WhatMathematicalKnowledgeisNeededforTeachingMathematics.pdf
Ball, D. L., & Hill, H. C. (2008). Mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) measures - Mathematics released items 2008. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://www.umich.edu/~lmtweb/files/lmt_sample_items.pdf
Ball, D., Thames, M.A. & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal of Teacher Education, 59(5), 389-407.
Bankov, K., Becker, A., Brese, F., Byun, S. Y., Carstens, R., Dumais, J., ... & Yu, A. (2013). The Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M): Policy, Practice, and Readiness to Teach Primary and Secondary Mathematics in 17 Countries. Technical Report. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: IEA Secretariat.
Blömeke, S., Suhl, U., & Kaiser, G. (2011). Teacher education effectiveness: Quality and equity of future primary teachers’ mathematics and mathematics pedagogical content knowledge. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(2), 154-171.
Brese, F., & Tatto, M. T. (2012). User guide for the TEDS-M international database. Hamburg, Germany: The IEA Secretariat.
Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education. (2010). Breaking the Cycle: An International Comparison of U.S. Mathematics Teacher Preparation. East Lansing: Michigan State University.
Cole, Y. (2012). Assessing elemental validity: the transfer and use of mathematical knowledge for teaching measures in Ghana. ZDM, 44(3), 415-426.
Copur-Gencturk, Y., & Lubienski, S. T. (2013). Measuring mathematical knowledge for teaching: a longitudinal study using two measures. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 16(3), 211-236.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297- 334.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Assessing teacher education, the usefulness of multiple measures for assessing program outcomes. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(2), 120-138.
Darling-Hammond, L., Chung, R., & Frelow, F. (2002). Variation in teacher preparation how well do different pathways prepare teachers to teach? Journal of Teacher Education, 53(4), 286-302.
Delaney, S., Ball, D. L., Hill, H. C., Schilling, S. G., & Zopf, D. (2008). Mathematical knowledge for teaching: Adapting US measures for use in Ireland. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 11(3), 171-197.
Fauskanger, J., Jakobsen, A., Mosvold, R., & Bjuland, R. (2012). Analysis of psychometric properties as part of an iterative adaptation process of MKT items for use in other countries. ZDM, 44(3), 387-399.
Hauke, J., & Kossowski, T. (2011). Comparison of values of Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients on the same sets of data. Quaestiones Geographicae, 30(2), 87-93.
Hill, H. C., Schilling, S. G., & Ball, D. L. (2004). Developing measures of teachers’ mathematics knowledge for teaching. The Elementary School Journal, 105(1), 11-30.
Hill, H.C., Rowan, B., & Ball, D.L. (2005) Effects of teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching on student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 42(2), 371-406.
Hoover, M., Mosvold, R., Ball, D. L., & Lai, Y. (2016). Making Progress on Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. The Mathematics Enthusiast, 13(1-2), 3-34.
Hsieh, F. J., Law, C. K., Shy, H. Y., Wang, T. Y., Hsieh, C. J., & Tang, S. J. (2011). Mathematics teacher education quality in TEDS-M: globalizing the views of future teachers and teacher educators. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(2), 172-187.
Ihantola, E. M., & Kihn, L. A. (2011). Threats to validity and reliability in mixed methods accounting research. Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, 8(1), 39-58.
Ingvarson, L., Schwille, J., Tatto, M. T., Rowley, G., Peck, R., & Senk, S. L. (2013). An Analysis of Teacher Education Context, Structure, and Quality-Assurance Arrangements in TEDS-M Countries: Findings from the IEA Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M). Amsterdam, the Netherlands: IEA Secretariat.
Jankvist, U. T., Mosvold, R., Fauskanger, J., & Jakobsen, A. (2015). Analyzing the use of history of mathematics through MKT. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 46(4), 495–507.
Kaarstein, H. (2014). Norwegian mathematics teachers’ and educational researchers’ perception of MPCK items used in the TEDS-M study. Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 19(3-4), 57– 82.
Kazima, M., Jakobsen, A., & Kasoka, D. N. (2016). Use of Mathematical Tasks of Teaching and the Corresponding LMT Measures in the Malawi Context. The Mathematics Enthusiast, 13(1), 171- 186.
Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.
König, J., Blömeke, S., Paine, L., Schmidt, W. H., & Hsieh, F. J. (2011). General pedagogical knowledge of future middle school teachers: On the complex ecology of teacher education in the United States, Germany, and Taiwan. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(2), 188-201.
Kwon, M., Thames, M. H., & Pang, J. (2012). To change or not to change: adapting mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) measures for use in Korea. ZDM, 44(3), 371-385.
Markworth, K., Goodwin, T., & Glisson, K. (2009). The development of mathematical knowledge for teaching in the student teaching practicum. In D. S. Mewborn & H. S. Lee (Eds.), Scholarly Practices and Inquiry in the Preparation of Mathematics Teachers (pp. 67–83). San Diego, CA: Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators.
Marton, F., & Booth, S. A. (1997). Learning and awareness. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Monk, D. H. (1994). Subject area preparation of secondary mathematics and science teachers and student achievement. Economics of education review, 13(2), 125-145.
Mosvold, R. & Fauskanger, J. (2013). Teachers’ beliefs about mathematical knowledge for teaching definitions. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 8(2-3), 43-61.
Mosvold, R., Bjuland, R., Fauskanger, J., & Jakobsen, A. (2011). Similar but different – investigating the use of MKT in a Norwegian kindergarten setting. In M. Pytlak, T. Rowland, & E. Swoboda (Eds.), Proceedings of the Seventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. 1802-1811). University of Rzeszów, Poland.
Ng, D. (2012). Using the MKT measures to reveal Indonesian teachers’ mathematical knowledge: challenges and potentials. ZDM, 44(3), 401-413.
Petrou, M., & Goulding, M. (2011). Conceptualising teachers’ mathematical knowledge in teaching. In T. Rowland, & K. Ruthven (Eds.), Mathematical knowledge in teaching (pp. 9-25). Melbourne, Australia: Springer Science and Business Media.
Qian, H., & Youngs, P. (2016). The effect of teacher education programs on future elementary mathematics teachers’ knowledge: a five-country analysis using TEDS-M data. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 19(4), 371-396.
Rowland, T., Turner, F., Thwaites, A. and Huckstep, P. (2009) Developing Primary Mathematics Teaching: reflecting on practice with the Knowledge Quartet. London, England: Sage.
Schmidt, W. H., Cogan, L., & Houang, R. (2011). The role of opportunity to learn in teacher preparation: An international context. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(2), 138-153.
Schmidt, W. H., Houang, R., & Cogan, L. S. (2011). Preparing future math teachers. Science, 332(603), 1266-1267.
Sheskin, D. J. (2003). Handbook of parametric and nonparametric statistical procedures. Boca Raton, Florida: A CRC Press Company.
Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14.
Sleep, L. (2009). Teaching to the mathematical point: Knowing and using mathematics in teaching (Dissertation, University of Michigan. United States). Retrieved from https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/64676/sleepl_1.pdf
Tatto, M. T., Ingvarson, L., Schwille, J., Peck, R., Senk, S. L., & Rowley, G. (2008). Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M): Policy, Practice, and Readiness to Teach Primary and Secondary Mathematics. Conceptual Framework. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: The IEA Secretariat.
Tatto, M. T., Peck, R., Schwille, J., Bankov, K., Senk, S. L., Rodriguez, M., Ingvarson, L., Reckase, M. & Rowley, G. (2012). Policy, Practice, and Readiness to Teach Primary and Secondary Mathematics in 17 Countries: Findings from the IEA Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-MM). Amsterdam, the Netherlands: IEA Secretariat.
Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach's alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53-55.
The Finnish National Board of Education. (2003). National Core Curriculum for General Upper Secondary Education 2003 (Regulation 33/011/2003). Vammala, Finland: Vammalan Kirjapaino Oy.
Trigwell, K., Prosser, M., & Waterhouse, F. (1999). Relations between teachers' approaches to teaching and students' approaches to learning. Higher education, 37(1), 57-70.

How to cite this article

APA

Koponen, M., Asikainen, M. A., Viholainen, A., & Hirvonen, P. E. (2017). How Education Affects Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge: Unpacking Selected Aspects of Teacher Knowledge. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(6), 1943-1980. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.01209a

Vancouver

Koponen M, Asikainen MA, Viholainen A, Hirvonen PE. How Education Affects Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge: Unpacking Selected Aspects of Teacher Knowledge. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2017;13(6):1943-80. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.01209a

AMA

Koponen M, Asikainen MA, Viholainen A, Hirvonen PE. How Education Affects Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge: Unpacking Selected Aspects of Teacher Knowledge. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2017;13(6), 1943-1980. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.01209a

Chicago

Koponen, Mika, Mervi A Asikainen, Antti Viholainen, and Pekka E Hirvonen. "How Education Affects Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge: Unpacking Selected Aspects of Teacher Knowledge". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2017 13 no. 6 (2017): 1943-1980. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.01209a

Harvard

Koponen, M., Asikainen, M. A., Viholainen, A., and Hirvonen, P. E. (2017). How Education Affects Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge: Unpacking Selected Aspects of Teacher Knowledge. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(6), pp. 1943-1980. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.01209a

MLA

Koponen, Mika et al. "How Education Affects Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge: Unpacking Selected Aspects of Teacher Knowledge". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 13, no. 6, 2017, pp. 1943-1980. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.01209a