Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Teaching Competence: Comparing Performance on Multiple Measures

• In Event: Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: Connections and Conditions for Improving Preservice Mathematics Teaching

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between pre-service teachers’ performance on a teaching performance assessment for licensure in elementary mathematics and two measures of knowledge that, in studies of practicing teachers, were found to predict effective mathematics teaching. A sample of 91 pre-service teachers completed the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT), the Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) survey, and the Classroom Video Analysis (CVA) Instrument. Correlation analyses found overall weak associations between measures for the whole group, but differences emerged for groups of high- and low-performing pre-service teachers. In addition to suggesting areas for future research, the findings raise questions about assessing pre-service teachers’ readiness to teach mathematics and the use of a single measure to make licensing decisions.

Authors

• Rossella Santagata, University of California - Irvine

• Judith H. Sandholtz, University of California - Irvine