Junior high school teachers’ use of pedagogical content knowledge in teaching and learning mathematics in Akatsi District of Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore how teachers use their pedagogical content knowledge (teachers’ knowledge of content and students’ thinking) to identify and diagnose students’ misconceptions in addition and division of fractions. Teachers were expected to identify students’ misconceptions, give reasons for these misconceptions and ask specific questions to diagnose
students’ thinking processes that lead to the misconceptions. A total of 40 teachers teaching mathematics were purposively selected from schools which performed poorly in the 2010 Basic Education Certificate Examinations in the Akatsi District. Questionnaires with four in-class problems consisting of students’ commonest misconceptions in addition and division of fraction were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. It was found that the majority of the teachers could identify students’ misconceptions but could not articulate the reasons for such misconceptions clearly. It was also found that teachers could not ask specific questions to diagnose students’ misconceptions. It was recommended that teacher training institutions integrate pedagogical content knowledge (teachers’ knowledge of content and students’ thinking) into the curriculum to equip teachers with skills that would enable them analyse students’ thinking processes.