Mathematical and Pedagogical Knowledge amongst First- and Second-Grade Inservice and Preservice Mathematics Teachers

Abstract

The study investigates the mathematical and the pedagogical content knowledge among inservice and preservice first- and second-grade mathematics teachers. The sample of 300 subjects consisted of 150 first- and second-grade inservice teachers and 150 preservice teachers studying in a college of education, 75 of whom were first-year students and 75 third- and fourth-year students. The data was collected using two tools - a mathematical content knowledge (MCK) test and a mathematics pedagogical content knowledge (MPCK) test, the items on each of these representing the four sub-domains studied in first- and second-grade: numbers, arithmetic operations, geometry/measurements, and word problems. The principal findings of the study indicate that all three groups possess limited knowledge of both MCK and MPCK in all sub-domains. The inservice teachers achieved the highest mean in the MCK and MPCK and the differences between the inservice teachers and the two groups of preservice teachers were statistically significant in general MCK and MPCK and in all the domains. Moreover, the lowest MCK mean was in the geometry/measurements domain, and the lowest MPCK mean was in the word-problems domain.