Teacher noticing and its growth toward expertise: an expert–novice comparison with pre-service and in-service secondary mathematics teachers

Abstract

AbstractAlthough strong references to expertise in different theoretical approaches to teacher noticing have been made in the last decades, empirical knowledge about the development of teacher noticing from novice to expert level is scarce. The present study aims to close this research gap by comparing three different groups of mathematics teachers with different degrees of professional teaching experience—pre-service teachers at the master’s level, early career teachers, and experienced teachers—using data sampled in the frame of the research program from the Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M). Furthermore, the construct of teacher noticing is assessed in a differentiated way by analyzing different noticing facets. Findings confirm that three facets of teacher noticing can be empirically distinguished—perception of important classroom events, their interpretation, and decisions regarding further developments. The results reveal a considerable increase in professional noticing between master’s students and practicing teachers. However, in contrast to other studies, among examples from East Asia, a stagnation or decrease in professional noticing between early career teachers and experienced teachers could be observed. Overall, the study highlights the cultural dependency of expertise development regarding teachers’ noticing.