Pedagogical content knowledge for simulations and mathematical modelling with digital tools: a quasi-experimental study with pre-service mathematics teachers

Abstract This study investigates the promotion of pedagogical content knowledge for simulations and mathematical modelling with digital tools among pre-service teachers. This knowledge can be described as modelling-specific TPaCK in the context of digital tools. In a quasi-experimental design, three groups of pre-service teachers (N = 230) were analysed and compared over four semesters. Experimental Group 1 attended a course on simulations and mathematical modelling with digital tools, Experimental Group 2 attended a course on mathematical modelling without the use of digital tools and the control group attended mathematics education courses without specific reference to modelling or digital tools. The results show that TPaCK was promoted significantly more in the group that worked with digital tools than in the other two groups in its four theoretically and empirically derived dimensions (theory knowledge, task knowledge, process knowledge and intervention knowledge). This study confirms that courses specifically designed for digital tools can effectively promote the modelling-specific TPaCK of pre-service mathematics teachers in all four dimensions. The results underscore the importance of integrating digital tools into teacher training and show that general pedagogical knowledge for modelling is not sufficient without a focus on digital tools to build pedagogical knowledge for simulations and mathematical modelling with digital tools.