Examining the pedagogical content knowledge of in-service mathematics teachers on the permutations and combinations in the context of student mistakes

Abstract

Permutations and combinations are generally taught by requiring students to memorize formulas and solve problems using the appropriate formula. Students who learn these topics may succeed in gaining high scores on end-of-chapter exams in textbooks, while lacking the conceptual understanding required to deal with problems in the real world. Therefore, this study aimed to examine in-service mathematics teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to determine students’ mistakes in solving permutations and combinations problem and their teaching strategies to eliminate these errors. Data were collected by distributing vignettes, CoRe, and PaP-eRs to thirteen mathematics teachers from ten provinces in Indonesia after they finished an online professional teacher education program to determine their PCK in teaching permutations and combinations. The data collected were analyzed qualitatively using a content analysis approach to obtain categories inductively. The result showed that PCK of in-service mathematics in teaching permutations and combinations was observed by identifying student mistakes conceptually and procedurally, even though some could not determine their mistakes in permutations. On the other hand, the knowledge of instructional strategies can engage all students in active learning, but most of them only give general answers. Furthermore, an in-depth understanding of permutations and combinations topic is needed to support the development of teachers’ pedagogic competencies sustainably. The contribution of this research will be of interest to curriculum development and mathematics educators.