Knowledge of teachers and its relationship with the mathematical performance of students

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Published: Jun 12, 2023
Keywords:
Primary school teachers, math teaching, learning, mathematics, education.

Main Article Content

Palmenia Rodríguez Rojas
Universidad de La Serena

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.

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Article Details

How to Cite
Rodríguez Rojas, P. (2023). Knowledge of teachers and its relationship with the mathematical performance of students. Mendive. Journal on Education, 21(3), e3351. Retrieved from https://mendive.upr.edu.cu/index.php/MendiveUPR/article/view/3351
Issue
Vol. 21 No. 3 (2023): julio-septiembre
Section
ARTICLES
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Palmenia Rodríguez Rojas, Universidad de La Serena

Profesora de Estado en Matemáticas, Licenciada en Educación en Matemáticas, Magister en Didáctica de la Matemática y Doctora en Didáctica de La Matemática. Actualmente soy académica Jornada Completa, jerarquía asociada, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Matemáticas, Universidad de La Serena.

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