A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of K-8 Mathematics Teacher Preparation on Teacher Knowledge, Teaching Practices, and Student Learning

本研究计划为期五年，旨在：（1）完善教师准备的发展理论;（2）实证研究教师准备、教师学习、教学实践和学生学习之间的关系;（3）了解教师在准备期间和最初几年的教学中使用所获得的知识和技能以改善其实践的条件。利用纵向设计和以下两个队列的教师，因为他们过渡到课堂教学的数学教师准备计划，该项目将研究如何准备计划，现场条件，并选择的上下文变量影响有效的课堂数学教学的实施。研究方法将包括控制实验，小样本重复和案例研究的计划组合。数据收集将包括大样本书面评估和小样本经常性观察和访谈。通过选择有理数的主题和7-8年级的中间，研究人员将比较两种不同的准备计划的效果，一种是为小学/中学（K-8年级）设计的，另一种是为中学（7-12年级）设计的。该项目解决了如何教教师有效地教学的基本问题，从在职到在职阶段。它的纵向方面涉及记录增长有效的数学教学的时间参与者是在学校的副本科教育专业的许多年后，当他们在学校的专业，在职数学教师。该项目认为，学校有效的数学教学不仅需要加强教师的数学内容，而且还需要解决如何支持他们处理阻碍或支持有效实施有效教学做法的背景变量（体制限制）。该项目还解决了以下有争议的问题，今天面临的数学教师教育研究：是否有更多的数学内容（在中学数学专业的情况下）比数学内容知识教学（在小学和中学专业的情况下）有效地教学数学的充分条件（反之亦然），特别是分数？

The five-year project seeks to: (1) refine a developing theory of teacher preparation; (2) examine empirically the relationships among teacher preparation, teacher learning, teaching practice, and student learning; and (3) understand the conditions under which teachers use the knowledge and skills acquired during preparation and during their first few years of teaching to improve their practice. Utilizing a longitudinal design and following two cohorts of teachers as they transition from mathematics teacher preparation programs into classroom teaching, the project will study how preparation programs, field conditions, and selected contextual variables affect the implementation of effective classroom mathematics teaching. Research methods will include a planned mix of controlled experiments, small-sample replications, and case studies. Data collection will include both large-sample written assessments and small-sample recurring observations and interviews. By focusing on selected rational number topics and the middle grades 7-8, researchers will compare the effects of two different preparation programs, one designed for elementary/middle school (grades K-8) and the other for secondary school (grades 7-12).The project addresses the fundamental issue of how teachers can be taught to teach effectively from the preservice to the inservice stage. Its longitudinal aspect involves documenting growth in effective mathematics teaching from the time participants are in schools as preservice undergraduate education majors to many years after when they are in schools as professional, inservice mathematics teachers. The project takes the view that effective mathematics teaching in the schools does not only require strengthening teachers' mathematics content but also addressing ways in which they can be supported in dealing with contextual variables (institutional constraints) that either hinder or support effective implementation of effective teaching practices. The project also addresses the following controversial issue facing mathematics teacher education research today: Does having more mathematics content (in the case of secondary mathematics majors) than mathematical content knowledge for teaching mathematics (in the case of elementary and middle school majors) a sufficient condition for effectively teaching mathematics (and vice-versa), in particular, fractions?