Future Teachers’ and Teacher Educators’ Perceptions of Learning Mathematics Instruction and Relationships to Knowledge

Abstract

This study used the Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M) to examine the relationships between opportunities to learn (OTL) mathematics instruction for conceptual understanding and primary future teachers’ (PSTs) knowledge for teaching mathematics in three countries: Poland, Russia, and the United States. The frequencies of opportunities to learn (OTL) mathematics instruction for conceptual understanding varied between PSTs and teacher educators. A comparison of the teacher educators’ and PSTs’ responses suggests that the PSTs had fewer opportunities to learn mathematics instruction for conceptual understanding than were intended by the teacher educators at the program level in the three countries. The patterns of relationships from a multilevel regression analysis in each of the selected countries show variations across contexts and categories of knowledge. In particular, the OTL how to (a) make distinctions between procedural and conceptual knowledge and (b) show why a procedure works, were significantly related to PSTs’ knowledge for teaching mathematics between programs in the United States and Russia, respectively. The OTL how to show why procedures work was significantly related to PSTs’ knowledge for teaching mathematics within the programs in the three countries. Policy implications for mathematics teacher education are discussed.