Linking Teacher Learning to Pupil Learning: A Longitudinal Investigation of How Experiences Shape Teaching Practices in Mathematics

Linking Teacher Learning to Pupil Learning: A Longitudinal Investigation of How Experiences Shape Teaching Practices in Mathematics

Jong, Cindy

case study research

mathematics education

mixed-methods research

teacher education

Mathematics education is constantly at the forefront of public and academic debates during this era of increased accountability. Questions concerning teacher preparation and teaching practices that connect to pupil learning are central to these discussions. However, very few studies have examined relationships among these factors and most are confined to a short time period; thus, this dissertation studies such relationships over a two-year period. Informed by a sociocultural perspective, this study examines how preservice elementary teachers' past K-12 schooling and teacher education experiences influences their attitudes and perceptions about mathematics education over time. It also explores how teaching practices are shaped by these experiences, and are ultimately linked to pupil learning. A mixed-method design of survey and qualitative case-study research methods was employed to collect and analyze data over a two-year period. During the first year of this study, pre- and post-surveys using Likert-scale items were administered to all preservice teachers (n=75) enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course. For a two-year period, the experiences of two participants were explored through longitudinal interviews, observations, and an examination of artifacts (i.e., teacher lesson plans, assessments, and pupil work) to develop in-depth case studies. Findings indicate that prior schooling experiences influenced teachers' initial attitudes and perceptions about mathematics. Nevertheless, over a short period, positive changes in teachers' attitudes and confidence to teach mathematics suggest that experiences in the mathematics methods course were conducive to building on teachers' prior knowledge. Survey and case-study findings also indicate that preservice teachers planned to teach mathematics with a reformed approach, which emphasizes a conceptual understanding of mathematic. However, it was challenging for case-study participants to implement a reformed approach as first-year teachers, especially if they had limited teaching models to reinforce this method. Findings also suggest that school context, classroom management, and mathematical content knowledge all influence teaching practices and pupil learning opportunities. Implications for teacher education, school reform, and future research are discussed.

Boston College

Albert, Lillie R.

2009

Electronic Thesis or Dissertation

text

application/pdf

http://hdl.handle.net/2345/616

English

I hereby allow Boston College to include and preserve my dissertation/thesis in electronic form in the Boston College Institutional Repository, which shall include the right to publicly post my dissertation/thesis on the World Wide Web. I will retain copyright ownership, but I grant to Boston College the non-exclusive right to copy, distribute, and publicly display my dissertation/thesis in any form as may be necessary or convenient in the future as file formats, storage media, and distribution mechanisms evolve.

PhD

Doctoral

Teacher Education, Special Education, and Curriculum and Instruction

Boston College. Lynch School of Education.