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

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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.