CAREER: Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Mathematics Among Beginning Teachers

教学内容知识(PCK)在实施素质教育、促进学生学习方面起着至关重要的作用。尽管专家-新手教师文献中报告的证据表明，教师通过在职学习获得PCK而成为专家，但人们对教师在职业生涯早期学习什么以及如何学习知之甚少。本研究探讨了三至七年级数学初任教师如何以及在何种条件下提高PCK的基本问题，学习机会在初任教师PCK成长中的作用，以及初任数学教师的学习轨迹是怎样的。虽然本项目主要关注教师在分数和比例推理领域的PCK发展，但它也有可能为其他主题领域或学科的教师PCK发展的研究提供参考。这项工作将大大促进我们对学习机会的理解，学习机会是初任教师学习和知识发展的关键，这项研究的结果将有可能指导研究人员和教师教育工作者的工作和干预。该项目得到了NSF的EHR核心研究(ECR)计划的支持。ECR计划强调基础STEM教育研究，以产生该领域的基础知识。教师早期职业发展(CALEAR)计划是美国国家科学基金会(NSF)范围内的一项活动，旨在为那些通过杰出的研究、出色的教育以及在其组织使命范围内整合教育和研究而体现教师学者作用的初级教师提供奖励。在这项纵向混合研究设计中，至少200名3至7年级的中小学数学教师将从第一年到第三年被跟踪调查，以探索他们在数学PCK，特别是分数和比例推理方面的成长。研究的定性阶段将选取12名初始PCK水平不同的教师作为样本，进行微遗传学分析，以探讨他们PCK发展的机制。此外，在定性阶段确定的关键专业学习机会的概括性将使用更大的样本进行评估。这项研究的成果将转化为教育活动和教学资源，可供其他研究人员和教师教育工作者使用，作为提高中小学数学教师PCK的一种手段。该项目的成果将包括开发一个关于3-7年级教师PCK成长的理论，并为研究人员和教师教育工作者创造资源。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) plays a vital role in carrying out quality instruction and improving students' learning. Despite the evidence reported in expert-novice teacher literature suggesting that teachers become experts by gaining PCK through on-the-job learning, little is known about what and how teachers learn during their early career. This project addresses the fundamental issue of how and under what conditions beginning Grades 3 to 7 teachers of mathematics improve their PCK, what learning opportunities play a role in beginning teachers' PCK growth, and what the learning trajectories look like for beginning mathematics teachers. Although this project primarily focuses on teachers' PCK development in the areas of fractions and proportional reasoning, it has the potential to inform research on teachers' PCK development in other topic areas or disciplines. The work will contribute significantly to advancing our understanding of the learning opportunities that are key to beginning teachers' learning and knowledge development, and the results of this research will have the potential to guide the work of and interventions by researchers and teacher educators. This project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-wide activity that offers awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. In this longitudinal mixed-methods study design, at least 200 Grades 3 to 7 elementary and middle school teachers of mathematics will be followed from their first to third year of teaching to explore their growth in PCK in mathematics, in particular, fractions and proportional reasoning. A subsample of 12 teachers with varying initial levels of PCK will be selected for the qualitative phase of the study, which involves conducting a microgenetic analysis to investigate mechanisms of their PCK development. Additionally, the generalizability of key professional learning opportunities identified in the qualitative phase will be assessed using the larger sample. Outcomes from this research will be translated into educational activities and pedagogical resources that can be used by other researchers and teacher educators as a means of enhancing the PCK of elementary and middle school teachers of mathematics. The project results will include developing a theory of beginning Grades 3-7 teachers' PCK growth and creating resources for researchers and teacher educators.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.