Investigation of the Specialized Content Knowledge of the Pre-service Primary School Teachers about Multiplication

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the specialized content knowledge of pre-service primary school teachers about multiplication through problem posing and the justification for the accuracy of the multiplication of a two-digit number and a single-digit number. The research questions were formulated based on the theoretical framework of Ball and her colleagues’ teacher knowledge. The data were collected from 2nd, 3rd and 4th year pre-service teachers studying in the Faculty of Education of a state university using two open-ended questions. The data were analyzed with the content analysis method to provide a detailed perspective on the specialized content knowledge of pre-service teachers about multiplication. The findings of the study showed that although the pre-service teachers had difficulties in writing a problem related to multiplication operations, in which one of the multipliers was zero, the number of correct problem statements for the given operation increased as the pre-service teachers proceeded in their education. Another finding of the study is that the majority of the pre-service teachers made correct interpretations about the correctness or incorrectness of the solutions to the multiplication of a two-digit number and a single-digit number. However, it was observed that the pre-service teachers based their justifications for the student solutions given to them on students’ operational knowledge rather than their conceptual knowledge of the multiplication operation. The findings of the study were discussed within the framework of the relevant literature and some recommendations were made.