In-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Pedagogical Technology Knowledge Development in a Community of Inquiry Context

Abstract

The research community still faces challenges with respect to understanding and promoting mathematics teachers’ knowledge related to integrating technology into their instruction. This study’s goals are: (1) to examine the relations between the various components of pedagogical technology knowledge (PTK), (2) to examine whether teachers’ PTK differed significantly after their participation in a professional development (PD) program designed to enhance Community of Inquiry (CoI) practices, and (3) to examine the effect of teachers’ personal characteristics on PTK components and on their development. This study involved 42 middle school mathematics teachers. The data, collected using Thomas and Palmer’s PTK questionnaire, underwent a statistical analysis. Through the quantitative analysis, scores for each PTK component were computed and appropriate statistical tests were run. The results indicate that, aside from knowledge of mathematical content, all the components of PTK and PTK itself demonstrate strong correlations. In addition, the results showed that teachers’ PTK components differed significantly after they participated in a CoI PD program, except for the knowledge of mathematical content component. The background variables had significant effects on some PTK components’ scores and on their development among the participants.