Preschool teachers' mathematical pedagogical content knowledge and self-reported classroom activities

Abstract

Teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is pivotal for effective classroom instruction. Unfortunately, research on the acquisition of preschool teachers' PCK in the domain of early mathematics and how this knowledge relates to their mathematical classroom activities is scarce. The present contribution investigates (1) the acquisition of PCK in pre-service and in-service preschool teachers and (2) the association between preschool teachers' PCK and self-reported classroom activities in the domain of early mathematics. We offered a scenario-based questionnaire to 162 pre-service preschool teachers and 75 in-service preschool teachers to assess their PCK in the domain of early mathematics. Additionally, in-service preschool teachers fulfilled a questionnaire about their mathematical classroom activities. Our findings demonstrated that first-year pre-service preschool teachers scored significantly lower than second- and third-year pre-service preschool teachers. Furthermore, this latter group achieved a significantly lower PCK score than in-service teachers. Second, we observed a positive association between teachers' PCK and the classroom activities in the domain of early mathematics they reported to provide. Overall, our findings point to the interplay between PCK and effective classroom activities in preschool mathematics, and to the importance of teacher training and professional development programs, including opportunities to enhance the acquisition of this important knowledge.