A Comparative Study On Mathematics Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Of Early Childhood Teachers In China And America

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), which is the transformation of the subject matter knowledge for the purpose of teaching, is the knowledge used for teaching. The organic integration of the three kinds knowledge of PCK:knowledge of content(WHAT)、knowledge of children(WHO), knowledge of pedagogy(HOW),is necessary for teachers’ effective teaching.The present study compared the characteristics of early childhood teachers’ mathematics PCK between China and the US on a cross-cultural perspective. Selecting158early childhood teachers in Shanghai, China and65early childhood teachers in Chicago, America as the study samples, the study surveyed teachers’ mathematics PCK characteristics based on the video-cued PCK Questionnaire, which was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively, and found that the early childhood teachers mathematics PCK of China and the United States showed the following characteristics:1. Most early childhood teachers’ scores of WHAT, WHO, HOW and TOTAL are at the middle and low level, both in China and America. That is, most teachers just had general and limited understandings of the components of PCK.2. The WHAT and TOTAL scores of early childhood teachers in China is significantly lower than American teachers, but the difference is not significant on WHO, HOW scores between two countries.3. Teachers in China get the lowest scores in the knowledge of content(WHAT) followed by the knowledge of pedagogy(HOW), and the highest scores in the knowledge of children(WHO).While American teachers get the lowest scores in HOW, followed by WHAT, and also highest in WHO.4. The deviation of WHAT scores is smallest, followed by HOW scores, and WHO scores have the widest range of variance, both in China and America. Comparing between two countries, the deviation of each of three kinds of knowledge is smaller than America.5. There exists some slight differences in the type of teachers’ answers between two countries, but generally teachers’ answers in both countries are at a low level: early childhood teachers have a general and unsystematic understanding of the mathematics concepts; teachers don’t have a deep enough and specific understanding of children, being limited to the external behaviors of children; the pedagogy chosen by teachers are directly related to the core mathematical concepts, but just general answers, and tending to concentrate on several teaching methods and strategies.The study shows clearly that early childhood teachers’ mathematics PCK in China is weaker than their American counterparts in general, especially in the knowledge of content(WHAT). For this finding, researcher tried to inquire the possible reasons in terms of the qualification of early childhood teachers, early childhood teacher education, early childhood education curriculum reform and the professional identity and support from community and society, and offered some suggestions for improving.