Exploring primary teacher education students’ self-perception of readiness to teach primary mathematics

Abstract

In all primary initial teacher education programs, there is an underlying assumption that teacher education students (TES) who successfully complete all the requisite coursework and practicums should be ready to teach all subject areas in the primary school curriculum, including mathematics. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that performance or course achievement during the teacher education program is not directly correlated with classroom readiness. Therefore, it is important to determine TES’ self-perceptions of readiness to teach primary school mathematics, which is currently lacking in the research literature. A summary of current research literature in primary mathematics education is provided in this article, together with an argument for further research on TES’ self-perceptions of readiness. Such literature is presented through the lens of and intersection between content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and overall knowledge and readiness to teach.