Dimensions of mathematics teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and their association with mathematics teaching: a structural equation modelling approach

Abstract

Despite growing attention to teachers’ Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) in mathematics education, limited empirical evidence exists on how its key dimensions jointly relate to mathematics teaching among practising mathematics teachers enrolled in an undergraduate mathematics education programme while on study leave. In particular, the combined role of classroom management, assessment strategies, lesson planning, and instructional strategies remains underexplored. Accordingly, this study examined the relationships between these four sub-dimensions of PK and mathematics teaching. The study adopted a descriptive correlational design. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 330 participants selected through stratified and simple random sampling. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted using IBM SPSS and AMOS (v.23). The results indicated that all four dimensions were positively and significantly associated with mathematics teaching. Assessment strategies demonstrated the strongest direct association with mathematics teaching, followed by instructional strategies, lesson planning, and classroom management. The findings suggest that multiple dimensions of PK represent distinct but complementary domains that are individually associated with mathematics teaching, highlighting the importance of developing classroom management, assessment strategies, lesson planning, and instructional strategies within teacher professional development programmes.