Abstract
The major objective of this study was to examine the effect of Ethiopian pre-service primary school teacher education program to mathematics teacher’s knowledge and assess teacher educator’s awareness about Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching. The study employed quantitative and qualitative research approaches. It was also used survey and narration research design. The population of this study were all third-year pre-service teacher classes in generalist, specialist and linear modality classes in three sampled colleges of teacher education such as: Kotebe Metropolitan University, Hawassa College of teacher education and Arba Minch college of teacher education. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling. The result showed that program type has no effect on the mean scores between specialist and linear students in Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching scale. Significant difference was not observed in mean score of Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching test against gender. The findings also showed that teacher educators have no enough knowledge/awareness about the term Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching and its components. Thus, the study suggested that successive training should be organized to train teacher educators about Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching and mathematics pedagogies and recent mathematics education theories in general.
Highlights
In the last four decades, science and mathematics teacher education has made essential developments on improving and strengthening ways of producing qualified teachers
The findings showed that teacher educators have no enough knowledge/awareness about the term Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching and its components
Number of studies showed pre-service mathematics teachers have been got difficulties in mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) task items which required Common content knowledge (CCK), specialized content knowledge (SCK), Knowledge of content and student (KCS), Knowledge of content and teaching (KCT), and the proportions of those who showed appropriate knowledge on the items was less than 50% (Han, 2016; Ndlovu, Amin, & Samuel, 2017)
Summary
In the last four decades, science and mathematics teacher education has made essential developments on improving and strengthening ways of producing qualified teachers. To produce highly competent students in mathematics who are able to understand mathematics and its application in science and technology, college of teacher education must ensure that their pre-service teachers have opportunities to develop the necessary mathematical knowledge that is vital to their future teaching profession (Lee, Meadows, & Lee, 2003). This is because this knowledge is one of the biggest components that influences classroom atmosphere and student achievement (Fennema & Franke, 1992), and the quality of mathematics teaching (Ball, Hill, & Bass, 2005). Researchers have struggled to classify and clearly define all of the elements comprising the knowledge teachers needing for teaching (Thames & Ball, 2010)
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