Abstract
The mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) model emerged from the advances proposed by Shulman in 1986 and 1987 as part of the teacher’s professional knowledge model, and refers to the mathematical knowledge that the teacher employs to carry out the instruction process in the classroom. MKT has become an international benchmark for research into mathematics education and boasts a great scope and impact to date. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the way in which the MKT of early algebra teachers has been conceptualized and empirically studied in the scientific literature from 2010 to 2021. A systematic search in the Web of Science and Scopus databases led to a review of 17 papers. The results show great advances in the conceptualization of mathematical knowledge for teaching early algebra, focusing mainly on primary education teachers and on specialized knowledge of the content. In turn, there is a predominance of studies that address functional thinking as a content area. We conclude that more empirical studies are needed that address the mathematical knowledge that childhood and primary education teachers have of early algebra.
Highlights
The professional knowledge of teachers has been a topic of interest in the field of mathematics education in recent decades [1]
2010 and 2021 that investigate the mathematical knowledge of early childhood and primary education teachers for teaching early algebra from the perspective of the mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) model
To investigate the different subdomains of the MKT model, the studies analyzed the essential aspects that characterize them, as described below: In general, the studies that delve into common content knowledge (CCK) involve teachers directly in solving mathematical tasks in an early algebra content area: for example, the representation of equality in mathematical expressions (e.g., [60,70]); solving firstdegree equation problems (e.g., [64,67]); or the generalisation of patterns (e.g., [66])
Summary
The professional knowledge of teachers has been a topic of interest in the field of mathematics education in recent decades [1]. Considering the importance and role of teacher knowledge in student learning [27] and the potential for the development of algebraic thinking in the first years of schooling, it is necessary to pay attention to mathematical knowledge for teaching. This requires knowing the contributions of the studies and literature that have supported the development of this research agenda. This area of content allows students to identify regularities and select appropriate models for solving various mathematical situations Another of the key elements to promote algebraic thinking that stands out in the literature is relational thinking. This refers to the structural sense of the relationships between the elements of an arithmetic expression and the properties of operations [23,50]
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