Pre-Service Primary School Teachers’ Knowledge and Their Interpretation of Students’ Answers to a Measurement Division Problem with Fractions

Abstract

During the last decades, research in teacher noticing has increased since its development is considered important in teacher training programs. An issue that needs more research is the relationship between teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching in a specific mathematical domain and their ability to notice. This study focuses on how pre-service primary school teachers (PPTs) solve a measurement division problem with fractions and interpret (score and justify) students’ answers to this problem. The participants were 84 PPTs who answered two tasks. Task 1 consisted of solving a measurement division problem with fractions. Task 2 involved interpreting (scoring and justifying) the answers of four primary school students to the problem. Responses to Task 1 were classified based on their accuracy and the procedure used. For Task 2, the scores given along with their justifications were analyzed. The results show that PPTs’ knowledge of division with fractions is limited and that they had difficulties in identifying conceptual errors in students’ answers. This study provides information on the relationships between PPTs’ knowledge of these types of problems and how PPTs interpret students’ answers. This information could aid in adjusting mathematical teaching knowledge in training programs.

Keywords

• noticing
• teacher’s mathematical knowledge for teaching
• measurement division problems
• division of fractions