Developing a Simulation to Foster Prospective Mathematics Teachers’ Diagnostic Competencies: the Effects of Scaffolding

Abstract

To assess individual students’ abilities and misconceptions in mathematics, teachers need diagnostic competencies. Although research has addressed the quality of teachers’ diagnostic competencies in recent years, it is not very clear how to foster these competencies effectively in the course of prospective teachers’ university education. Research suggests that simulations with instructional support are promising tools for fostering complex competencies. We have developed a simulation that aims at measuring and fostering prospective primary school teachers’ competencies to assess students’ mathematical abilities and misconceptions based on their written task solutions. In this study, we analysed data from prospective primary school mathematics teachers who used one of three different versions of the simulation. Two versions contained a specific type of scaffolding, while the third version did not contain scaffolding. Specifically, the two scaffolding types were content-related scaffolding that emphasized the use of specific pedagogical content knowledge, and strategic scaffolding that emphasized diagnostic activities. The results suggest that integrating scaffolding into the simulation did not substantially influence participants’ overall perception of the simulation regarding presence, authenticity, or perceived cognitive load. Compared to participants in a control group without intervention, participants who used the simulation with scaffolding had higher diagnostic accuracy regarding overall assessment of students’ competence level. However, only content-related scaffolding but not strategic scaffolding or no scaffolding tended to improve participants’ competence in identifying students’ specific misconceptions. The results provide a first empirical basis for further development of the simulation.

Collaborative Problem-Solving in Knowledge-Rich Domains: A Multi-Study Structural Equation Model

“…These could influence CDAs, particularly in the early stages of skill development (Hetmanek et al, 2018). Previous research showed that, in diagnostic reasoning, instructional support is more beneficial when being domain-specific than domain-general (Schons et al, 2022). Thus, there is still a need for further research on how such instructional support might look like.…”

Fostering diagnostic competence in prospective mathematics elementary teachers through epistemic activities

“…Klug et al (2016), for example, incorporated independent diagnoses of cases in the form of learning diaries and (Busch et al, 2015) used the fictitious students' solution. Finally, Besser et al (2015), Eichler et al (2022), as well as Schons et al (2022), relied on authentic digital diagnostic cases that participants work on independently in a learning environment. Adaption of the model of specific others' knowledge (Nickerson, 1999).…”

“…Research suggests that it is both necessary ( Stahnke et al, 2016 ) and possible to promote (prospective) teachers’ diagnostic competence (e.g., Klug et al, 2016 ; Herppich et al, 2018 ). Particularly, recent research has yielded promising training strategies to foster teachers’ diagnostic competence referring to video vignettes (e.g., Enenkiel et al, 2022 ), simulation of diagnostic situations ( Schons et al, 2022 ) or exploring students’ solutions ( Eichler et al, 2022 ; Philipp and Gobeli-Egloff, 2022 ). However, it is still necessary to investigate promising conceptualizations of interventions aiming to promote teachers’ diagnostic competence (e.g., Chernikova et al, 2020 ).…”