Learning at university

Teachers’ professional knowledge, consisting of content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and pedagogical/psychological knowledge (PPK), is considered to be a core component of their competence. CK and PCK have already been shown to impact instructional practice and student outcomes. However, the question of how different teacher education programs impact the development of professional knowledge has not yet been satisfactorily investigated. Two cross-sectional studies with German preservice mathematics teachers were conducted to address this question. First, two groups of preservice teachers who had completed their university-based training, but in teacher education programs offering differing amounts of learning opportunities to build CK and PPK, were compared. Second, preservice teachers who did not attend the university-based phase of teacher education (late-entry teachers) were compared with preservice teachers who had taken the traditional route. The results support the hypothesis that structural differences in teacher education in terms of the amount of learning opportunities available for candidates to develop CK, PCK, and PPK are reflected in their scores on the respective COACTIV tests. [Editor]