An Investigation of Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Argumentation from the Perspective of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching and Evaluating

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate prospective elementary school teachers’ mathematical process knowledge related to argumentation. To achieve this, we focus on prospective teachers’ mathematical argumentation as a key aspect of the mathematical knowledge teachers need for teaching. By referring to the framework of mathematical knowledge for teaching, we pay special attention to “process knowledge” instead of “content knowledge.” The study involves 136 prospective teachers at a national university in Japan who performed a task requiring the evaluation of several incorrect solutions to a realistic problem. The results show that most prospective teachers have difficulties in evaluating or assessing children’s incorrect solutions. This study contributes to the field on a conceptual and a methodological level. Regarding the conceptual framework, we suggest the importance of teachers’ process knowledge in teaching and evaluating, particularly in relation to mathematical argumentation and, regarding methodology, we create a way to help participants notice children’s incomplete thinking.