Effects of Microteaching Combined with Questioning Techniques on the Mathematics Teaching Ability of Student Teachers at Zhoukou Normal University

Background and Aims: As basic education reform in China continues to deepen, expectations for teachers' teaching abilities have increased. As normal universities that train teachers for basic education, they face limitations in traditional teaching models and can no longer meet the needs of cultivating high-quality student teachers. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of Microteaching combined with Questioning Techniques in improving the mathematics teaching ability of third-year Student Teachers majoring in mathematics at Zhoukou Normal University, and to assess whether the intervention can help Student Teachers meet the 70% mastery criterion. Methodology: This quasi-experimental study adopts a one-group post-test design, and 20 third-year student teachers majoring in mathematics from Zhoukou Normal University are selected as the research subjects through cluster sampling. Implement teaching interventions that Microteaching integrates (pre-class preview, in-class case analysis, repeatable practice training, feedback, and reflection) and Questioning Techniques (question chains, timely questioning). The intervention lasts for 7 weeks with a total of 21 class hours, covering modules related to mathematics teaching abilities (design, implementation, reflection, evaluation). The study collected data through a mathematics teaching ability rubric assessment form and a satisfaction questionnaire, and used SPSS software to conduct descriptive statistics and a one-sample t-test for analysis. Results: One-sample t-test results revealed that participants' overall teaching ability score (M = 53.55, SD = 5.23, out of 64) was significantly higher than the preset 70% criterion score (44.8), t =7.49, p < .01, Cohen’s d = 1.67, indicating a large effect size. Scores across all four sub-dimensions also significantly exceeded the criterion. Moreover, participants reported high levels of course satisfaction (M = 61.15, SD = 4.86, out of 75), significantly surpassing the 70% criterion (52.5), t = 7.96, p < .01, with all sub-dimensions meeting or exceeding the threshold. These findings suggest that the intervention successfully achieved its intended outcomes in both competence enhancement and learner acceptance. Conclusion: This study indicates that an integrated course combining Questioning Techniques is positively associated with student teachers’ attainment of teaching ability standards, and that student receptivity to this approach is favorable. The observed effectiveness may be attributed to the dual synergy between behavioral rehearsal, Microteaching, and Questioning Techniques as cognitive scaffolding—the former facilitating the automation of pedagogical ability through simulated practice and iterative feedback, the latter externalizing instructional decision-making and promoting reflective adjustment via question-driven inquiry. This study provides preliminary empirical evidence for shifting the focus of practical training in teacher education from discrete ability acquisition toward integrated competence development. The limitations of this study include: a single-group post-test design without a control group or pre-test, which limits the ability to make causal inferences; the sample is only from a single institution, and the external validity needs to be further tested in future studies by expanding the sample, adding a control group, and conducting follow-up measurements.