Prospective middle grade mathematics teachers’ knowledge of algebra for teaching

This study examined prospective middle grade mathematics teachers’ knowledge of algebra for teaching with a focus on knowledge for teaching the concept of function. 115 prospective teachers from an interdisciplinary program for mathematics and science middle teacher preparation at a large public university in the USA participated in a survey. It was found that the participants had relatively limited knowledge of algebra for teaching. They also revealed weakness in selecting appropriate perspectives of the concept of function and flexibly using representations of quadratic functions. They made numerous mistakes in solving quadratic or irrational equations and in algebraic manipulation and reasoning. The participants’ weakness in connecting algebraic and graphic representations resulted in their failure to solve quadratic inequalities and to judge the number of roots of quadratic functions. Follow-up interview further revealed the participants’ lack of knowledge in solving problems by integrating algebraic and graphic representations. The implications of these findings for mathematics teacher preparation are discussed.

► This study examined prospective middle teachers’ knowledge of algebra for teaching.
► 115 completed questionnaires and five interviews consisted of the data.
► The participants revealed their limited knowledge of algebra for teaching.
► They are weak in representational flexibility and selection of function perspectives.
► They made numerous mistakes in algebraic manipulation and function transformations.
► Implications of the findings for mathematics teacher preparations are discussed.