Specialised education makes a difference in preschool teachers’ knowledge bases in the teaching of mathematics and science: A case of Botswana and Sweden

Kabita Bose,Kerstin Bäckman

doi:10.4102/sajce.v10i1.815

Abstract

Background: Education in mathematics and science is important at all school levels and should ideally start in the preschool, which implies that preschool teachers should have an adequate knowledge base in these subjects.Aim: This study aimed to investigate preschool teachers’ knowledge bases, including their subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in mathematics and science.Setting: The study presents an account of preschool teachers’ knowledge bases in mathematics and science in Botswana and Sweden and how they influence their teaching choices and strategies.Methods: A pragmatic paradigm with a survey design and a mixed-methods mode with quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. Using a purposive sampling procedure, 64 preschool teachers from Botswana and 67 from Sweden participated in the study. Questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect the data.Results: The findings showed that the Swedish preschool teachers had SMK and PCK in the two subjects. The Botswana teachers had SMK but lacked PCK. The early childhood educated preschool teachers from Sweden with developed PCK highlighted the daily routine situations as teaching or learning situations, whereas the primary school teachers from Botswana had SMK but found it difficult to teach at the preschool level.Conclusion: The preschool teachers’ knowledge bases included a play-based approach and knowledge about didactic considerations in spontaneous situations that made them teachable. The findings also showed the importance of a framework for specialised and professional early childhood education (ECE) training and acquiring SMK and PCK that contributed to the preschool teachers’ knowledge bases and practices in their teaching of mathematics and science. Early childhood education teachers’ educational experiences, their specialised and professional training profiles and the knowledge they acquired determined their knowledge bases and the SMK and PCK that minimised the constraints and challenges faced by them in the teaching of mathematics and science in ECE classrooms.

Highlights

Pupils at all school levels in Sweden, a developed country, generally show a lack of interest in mathematics and science, perhaps because of a fear of not being able to cope with these particular subjects
Their scores in the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)-related items ranged from 30% to 57%: concept handling in preschools (57%), children’s understanding (55%), developmentally appropriate practices (42%), documentation of children’s mathematics and science experiences (30%), what children should learn (55%) and knowledge about the different stages of the development of young children (64%)
The key findings of the current study are the following: (1) preschool teachers’ knowledge bases include a playbased approach, knowledge about didactic considerations and how to make use of spontaneous situations as teachable moments and (2) professional early childhood education (ECE) training for preschool teachers is crucial for the development of their knowledge bases, subject matter knowledge (SMK) and PCK when it comes to the teaching of mathematics and science

Summary

Introduction

Pupils at all school levels in Sweden, a developed country, generally show a lack of interest in mathematics and science, perhaps because of a fear of not being able to cope with these particular subjects. In Botswana, a developing country, pupils exhibit a lack of interest in mathematics and science and perform poorly at primary, secondary and tertiary levels In Sweden and Botswana, reports like Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have shown a similar trend. In Sweden – and in Swedish preschools – major efforts have been made to help children to develop a greater interest in mathematics and science by means of everyday activities (The Swedish National Agency for Education 2010, 2018) and stronger curricula in these subjects. Education in mathematics and science is important at all school levels and should ideally start in the preschool, which implies that preschool teachers should have an adequate knowledge base in these subjects

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Discussion

Conclusion