Primary trainee teachers’ understanding of basic geometrical figures in Scotland

Abstract

Whilst teachers’ mathematics knowledge is known to play a significant role in shaping the quality of their teaching, much less is known about the nature and extent of that knowledge, how it develops, and how such development can be supported through initial teacher training and continuing professional development. Earlier research has indicated that pre-service (trainee) primary teachers’ subject knowledge of geometry is amongst their weakest knowledge of mathematics. This paper reports on an analysis of geometry subject knowledge data gathered in Scotland from undergraduate pre-service primary teachers, focusing on their ability to define and classify quadrilaterals. The results indicate that many trainee primary teachers have relatively poor command of these aspects of mathematics.