Subject matter knowledge in Primary Education teacher training

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. The article questions a basic problem of didactics: the relevance of subject matter knowledge as a quality requirement in teacher training. Subject matter knowledge is assumed to be necessary to facilitate student learning and education. Specifically, it is understood as a requirement for teachers to be able to carry out didactic designs and developments that facilitate meaningful learning experiences and strengthen the conceptual structure of students. The objective of the research is to know if future Primary Education teachers and preservice Primary Education teachers have an adequate knowledge of subject matter knowledge. METHOD. To answer the objective, the type and organization of their knowledge is examined through concept maps, evaluating the productions with validated structural and semantic rubrics. RESULTS. The results show that, in general, teachers have a very poor organization of subject matter knowledge, with a weak didactic potential. DISCUSSION. Likewise, the data indicate that there are insignificant differences between the concept maps of teachers in training and those made by practicing teachers, which reflects a similar andcyclical knowledge structure. The conclusions point to the low and limited impact of teacher education programs on pre-service teachers’ acquisition of subject matter knowledge, even though it is understood as a general didactic requirement for teacher education and, for the development of quality teaching.