Comparative Examination of Content Understanding That Chinese and U.S. Preservice Teachers Developed in Mathematics Instructions

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Preservice and In-Service Teacher Education in Mathematics (Table 12)

Abstract

Preservice teachers’ specialized content knowledge and ethnic backgrounds presumably shape their mathematical teaching. This study examined the extent to which the specialized mathematics knowledge that Caucasian and Latino preservice teachers developed in a methods course related to the kinds and quality of representations used when teaching whole numbers. It revealed that the methods course significantly improved specialized content knowledge for Caucasian and Latino participants. No differences exist between Caucasian and Latino participants in using representation kinds and quality. Specialized content knowledge had little influence on the kinds and quality of representations that Caucasian and Latino participants developed, except for Latino participants with higher specialized content knowledge who used symbolic representations less frequently.

Authors

• Jian Wang, Texas Tech University

• Xuan He, Texas Tech University

• Hyunjin Shim, Texas Tech University

• Raymond Flores, Texas Tech University

• Minju Yi, Texas Tech University