Examining the effect of active participation on the TPACK knowledge of mathematics educators in a teaching mathematics with technology MOOC

Abstract

As the demand for incorporating educational technologies into the mathematics teaching curriculum rises, there is an increasing need for teachers to cultivate the competencies and skills essential for the effective integration of technology into their teaching methods. Massive Open Online Courses for Educators (MOOC-Eds) present teachers with valuable opportunities for professional development. The objective of this quantitative research study was to enhance our understanding of the specific types of knowledge acquired by teachers through active participation in a MOOC-Ed designed for mathematics educators. A pre- and post-TPACK survey was administered to 39 participants to assess the change in knowledge among active teacher-learners before and after their experience with the MOOC-Ed. The quantitative results obtained through paired sample t-testing revealed statistically significant growth, with a substantial effect size observed from the pre-survey to the post-survey in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) domain for both active and highly active teacher-learners. Teachers highlighted that the most significant impact on their professional learning experience was the increased knowledge of integrating pedagogical techniques with technological tools and enhancing their content knowledge to facilitate student-centered lessons.