Professional Development for Teaching Mathematics with Technology: A Comparative Study of Facilitators' Beliefs and Practices in China and Germany

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Professional Development for Teaching Mathematics with Technology: A Comparative Study of Facilitators' Beliefs and Practices in China and Germany
Language: English
Authors: Daniel Thurm (ORCID 0000-0001-6531-5271), Shuhui Li (ORCID 0000-0002-5231-7785), Bärbel Barzel (ORCID 0000-0001-6249-0891), Lianghuo Fan (ORCID 0000-0002-4680-6937), Na Li (ORCID 0000-0001-7718-4184)
Source: Educational Studies in Mathematics. 2024 115(2):247-269.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 23
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Facilitators (Individuals), Faculty Development, Cultural Differences, Beliefs, Educational Practices, Mathematics Instruction, Educational Technology, Cooperation, Instructional Materials, Professional Identity, Technological Literacy, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Self Efficacy, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: China, Germany
DOI: 10.1007/s10649-023-10284-3
ISSN: 0013-1954
1573-0816
Abstract: Facilitators, i.e., individuals who lead professional development (PD) programs, play a crucial role in providing high-quality PD to teachers, which is particularly relevant in the context of teaching mathematics with technology given the ubiquitous calls to exploit the potential of digital mathematical tools (DMT). However, quantitative research investigating facilitators' beliefs and practices remains scarce, particularly research comparing countries. In this cross-national study conducted in China and Germany, we developed an online questionnaire and surveyed n = 340 facilitators to provide a comprehensive quantitative picture of facilitators' beliefs and practices concerning PD for teaching mathematics with DMT. The results highlight various commonalities and differences between facilitators in China and Germany. We reveal significant differences concerning cooperation among facilitators, adaptation of PD materials, how facilitators professionalise themselves, and beliefs about when and how to use DMT. Furthermore, Chinese facilitators emphasise technical competence more strongly, while German facilitators focus more on developing teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. A critical commonality was that facilitators' self-efficacy concerning teaching with DMT and their self-efficacy for conducting PD for teaching mathematics with DMT was low. We discuss how the results can be linked to differences in the educational and cultural context and outline possible complements and enrichments for both countries' educational systems.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1411615
Database: ERIC
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Abstract:Facilitators, i.e., individuals who lead professional development (PD) programs, play a crucial role in providing high-quality PD to teachers, which is particularly relevant in the context of teaching mathematics with technology given the ubiquitous calls to exploit the potential of digital mathematical tools (DMT). However, quantitative research investigating facilitators' beliefs and practices remains scarce, particularly research comparing countries. In this cross-national study conducted in China and Germany, we developed an online questionnaire and surveyed n = 340 facilitators to provide a comprehensive quantitative picture of facilitators' beliefs and practices concerning PD for teaching mathematics with DMT. The results highlight various commonalities and differences between facilitators in China and Germany. We reveal significant differences concerning cooperation among facilitators, adaptation of PD materials, how facilitators professionalise themselves, and beliefs about when and how to use DMT. Furthermore, Chinese facilitators emphasise technical competence more strongly, while German facilitators focus more on developing teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. A critical commonality was that facilitators' self-efficacy concerning teaching with DMT and their self-efficacy for conducting PD for teaching mathematics with DMT was low. We discuss how the results can be linked to differences in the educational and cultural context and outline possible complements and enrichments for both countries' educational systems.
ISSN:0013-1954
1573-0816
DOI:10.1007/s10649-023-10284-3