Validating Measures of Algebra Teacher Subject Matter Knowledge and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

The purpose of this study was to validate inferences about scores of one task designed to measure subject matter knowledge and three tasks designed to measure aspects of pedagogical content knowledge. Evidence for the validity of inferences was based on two expectations. First, if tasks were sensiti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational assessment 2012-01, Vol.17 (1), p.1-21
Main Authors: Buschang, Rebecca E., Chung, Gregory K. W. K., Delacruz, Girlie C., Baker, Eva L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algebra
Beginning Teachers
Correlation
Differences
Educational evaluation
Expectations
Experienced Teachers
Expertise
Inferences
Knowledge
Knowledge Base for Teaching
Mathematics Teachers
Measures (Individuals)
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Pedagogy
Scores
Teacher Characteristics
Test Validity
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to validate inferences about scores of one task designed to measure subject matter knowledge and three tasks designed to measure aspects of pedagogical content knowledge. Evidence for the validity of inferences was based on two expectations. First, if tasks were sensitive to expertise, we would find group differences. Second, tasks that measured similar types of knowledge would correlate strongly, and tasks that measured different types of knowledge would correlate weakly. We recruited and assessed 4 groups of participants including 46 experienced algebra teachers (2+ years experience), 17 novice algebra teachers (0-2 years experience), 10 teaching experts, and 13 subject matter experts. Results indicate that one task differentiated among levels of expertise and measured several aspects of knowledge needed to teach algebra. Results also highlight that future studies should use a combination of tasks to accurately measure different aspects of teacher knowledge.
ISSN:1062-7197
1532-6977
DOI:10.1080/10627197.2012.697847