Primary school teachers’ knowledge for teaching multiplicative thinking

Multiplicative thinking is important for students’ learning of key topics in mathematics such as algebra, geometry, measurement, fractions, statistics, and probability. This study employed an embedded mixed-method approach to investigate primary school teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge for developing multiplicative thinking in students. The study participants (n = 62) were primary school teachers in Australia at different levels of teaching experience, from preservice teachers to novice, experienced, and expert teachers. Teachers completed a carefully designed questionnaire, and a model of Teacher Capacity was the framework for instrument design and data analysis. The investigation in this research focused on three key teaching stages for developing multiplicative thinking: transitional, multiplicative, and proportional reasoning. Estimated marginal means, pairwise comparison, and regression analysis statistical tests were conducted using SPSS 2.0. The results highlight specific areas requiring attention in teacher professional development and preparation programs to enhance teachers’ capacity to effectively support students’ learning and development around multiplicative thinking. For example, there is a need to enhance teachers’ capacity for multiplicative thinking during transitional teaching and the need to emphasize the development of teachers’ knowledge of students and the design of instruction.