Revista MENDIVE (Jun 2023)
Knowledge of teachers and its relationship with the mathematical performance of students
Abstract
Studies that estimate the statistical relationship between teacher knowledge and students' mathematical performance are limited and even scarcer in Latin America. From this point of view, the present study aimed to examine the association between the teacher's knowledge and the student's performance, in the mathematical topic of fractions. Through a quantitative methodology, a non-experimental design of correlational and cross-sectional scope was used. Structured tests with closed questions were applied to 553 fourth grade students and 18 teachers from 18 Chilean schools. The test administered to teachers measures conceptual knowledge of fractions and knowledge about teaching them. The study also examines contextual variables: level of mathematical knowledge reported in national tests and socioeconomic status. Data is analyzed using Pearson correlations. The results show a positive, strong and significant correlation between conceptual knowledge and knowledge about teaching (r= 0.71 p < .01). The correlation between the teacher's conceptual knowledge and the student's performance is positive, weak but significant (r= 0.31 p < .01). The correlation between knowledge about teaching and student performance is positive, weak but significant (r= 0.27 p < .01). These results are in line with studies that suggest that teachers' knowledge plays an important role in student performance in mathematics.
