Teacher Effects on Student Fraction Proficiency in Primary Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: The Role of Teachers for School Improvement

Abstract

In this study, we investigated which teacher factors have an effect on student proficiency regarding fractions in Grade 5 of Dutch primary education. Teacher characteristics pertaining to three perspectives on effective teaching were included: teachers’ background characteristics, their knowledge and conceptions regarding the subject they are teaching, and their teaching behavior. Multilevel analyses showed a complex picture in which teachers’ age and experience in the upper grades, their knowledge, the richness of the mathematics in their lessons, and the degree of student participation in their lessons played a role. The effects we found were statistically significant but small. The results showed that teacher characteristics from all three perspectives mattered for student fraction proficiency.

Authors

• Maaike Koopman, Eindhoven University of Technology

• Marieke Thurlings, Eindhoven University of Technology

• Perry den Brok, Eindhoven University of Technology