Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW-DOMAIN A 1

Literature Review for Domain A

Danielle May

TED 690 Capstone

June 6th, 2019

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Abstract

In this paper, I review the research by Robert Capraro, Mary Capraro, Dawn Parker,

Gerald Klum, and Tammy Raulerson on the importance of mathematical content

knowledge and its effect on preservice teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. Data is

collected on 193 preservice teachers from their previous mathematics course grades,

certification subtest scores, methods course posttest scores, a 15 question multiple choice

content pedagogical knowledge assessment, and a 30 point scale open ended question

assessment. The report also collects qualitative data from formal observations through the

participants’ field experience and their personal journal reflections.

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Article Summary

One of the most important aspects of the education for preservice teachers is the

ability to connect pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge. In “The Mathematics

Content Knowledge Role in Developing Preservice Teachers’ Pedagogical Content

Knowledge,” Robert Capraro et al. investigate the importance of mathematics content

knowledge on preservice teachers ability teach mathematics. In their study, they assess

193 female students enrolled in the final preservice methods course. These participants

complete 28-56 days of field experience in an elementary school depending on if they are

required to have two or four field days of experience per week. Like many preservice

teacher education programs, during their field experience the participants build weeklong

units, create lesson plans, teach a minimum of 4 classes, and complete a reflective journal

based on the classroom activities and their experiences. The study analyzes both

quantitative and qualitative data from the participants. Quantitative data is collected

based on the participants completion and success of previous mathematics courses, on

teaching certification subtests, preservice teacher course grades, a 15 question multiple

choice pedagogical content knowledge test, and an open-ended 30 point open-ended

posttest that is graded on a rubric scale. On the other hand, qualitative data is collected

through formal classroom observations, classroom mentor teacher reflections, and

personal reflection journals.

The research focuses on three participants with varying backgrounds in

mathematics. One participant is a high-achieving student with all A’s and 18 hours of

mathematics courses with a focus in teaching mathematics. The other two participants

have received A’s or B’s in their previous mathematics courses, where one has only 9
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hours of courses and the other 15 hours of mathematics courses. The teacher observations

and personal reflections are shown such that they show the participants initial confidence

and struggles with teaching mathematics lessons and their progress and realizations

through their field experiences.

The results from Capraro et al. show that participants with success in previous

math courses, or strong mathematical content knowledge, were most successful on the

pedagogical content knowledge assessments. However, mathematical content knowledge

had no correlation to the posttest scores for the methods course. Overall, preservice

teacher success was strongly correlated to personal teaching experiences in their field

experience. “Results of this study indicate that the benefit of field experience is

dependent on several factors, including the quality of the mentor, the rigor of the

pedagogical expectations, and the willingness of the preservice teacher to fully engage

the content and pedagogy” (Capraro et al., 2005, p. 114). These results show that content

knowledge and pedagogical knowledge are critical for an effective teacher, but are not

limited to specific content knowledge. Rather, personal drive and teaching experience are

key factors that help educators gain valuable pedagogical content knowledge.

Implications

Through my education and teaching experiences, I have gained vast knowledge in

mathematics through my undergraduate education. However, my pedagogical content

knowledge is something that I gained through my preservice teacher education program

and from my personal teaching experiences. My master’s courses played a huge role in

my abilities to engage students and promote deeper thinking with mathematics teaching

strategies such as project-based learning, model-strategy-application approach, Van Hiele

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theory of geometric thought, and the importance of relating content to STEM

connections. Overall, mathematics content knowledge is important, but field experience

and higher education courses help build that content pedagogical knowledge to create the

most effective teacher.

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References

Capraro, R., Capraro, M., Parker, D., Kulm, G., & Raulerson, T. (2005). The Mathemtics

Content Knowledge Role in Developing Preservice Teachers’ Pedagogical

Content Knowledge. Jounral of Research in Childhood Education. 20(2), 102-

118.