Resolving the chicken-or-egg causality dilemma: The longitudinal interplay of teacher knowledge and teacher beliefs

To examine the longitudinal relation between knowledge and beliefs and to determine cause and effect, 183 mathematics teachers were assessed three times during their first years of teacher education on their mathematics pedagogical content knowledge (MPCK) and their beliefs about teaching and learning. The data revealed that prior MPCK predicted later achievement. Prior beliefs also determined later ones. In addition, MPCK affected later beliefs: Higher MPCK at the first measurement resulted in more constructivist beliefs at later time points. By contrast, beliefs did not predict later MPCK. If constructivist teacher beliefs are to be fostered, teacher education should strengthen MPCK.