Pedagogical content knowledge for teaching numbers and operations: a study with prospective teachers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0227.40933Keywords:
pedagogical content knowledge; numbers and operations; initial teacher trainingAbstract
Introduction: The mission of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) is to prepare future teachers for teaching with the basic scientific, technical, and pedagogical skills and knowledge for the professional performance of teaching practice, in particular content and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).
Objective: To understand the PCK needed to teach Numbers and Operations to future teachers in initial training.
Methods: A quantitative methodology was adopted, using a questionnaire to collect data from 136 future teachers in training from four public higher education institutions in Angola.
Results: There are significant variations in participants' perceptions of pedagogical strategies for teaching Numbers and Operations, with greater emphasis on challenges associated with problem-solving and the application of calculation with whole numbers and decimals. Statistically significant differences were identified between the institutions, indicating inequalities in the training received on Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Analyzing the correlations revealed an interdependence between the assessed dimensions.
Conclusion: The study reinforces the need for specific training interventions that integrate innovative and contextually relevant pedagogical strategies to enhance the development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) during initial training. It contributes to the literature by exploring training gaps in a context that has been little investigated, offering insights for improving mathematics teaching in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Angola.
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