An empirical study on the technological pedagogical content knowledge development of pre-service mathematics teachers in China

Based on the research theories and methods of the TPACK model, an empirical research study was conducted in a normal university in Shanghai, China, to investigate how to improve pre-service teachers’ TPACK level. The subjects were pre-service mathematics teachers. The authors developed a learning-by-design micro-course and designed a TPACK Scale for the mathematics teachers, which aimed to test the change of their TPACK level before and after completing the micro-course. The result indicated that such a micro-course could effectively help the pre-service teachers improve their TPACK level. This paper describes the design and findings of the study, and provides suggestions for further improving the design of the micro-course to enhance pre-service teachers’ TPACK.