Damaris Hottenroth

 

This PhD project is based on the assumption that children’s access to mathematics is profoundly shaped by their teachers. It posits that teachers’ professional knowledge, beliefs, and specialized attitudes play a decisive role in determining which student approaches to mathematical content are encouraged and considered acceptable. Focusing on classroom situations where students and teachers collaboratively develop explanations for arithmetic patterns and structures (such as number walls and arithmetic triangles), the project investigates which facets of professional competence – specifically cognitive aspects (professional knowledge) and affective-motivational characteristics (beliefs and specialized attitudes) – influence these interactions. Central to the project is the analysis of how the practice of explaining emerges and is shaped within class- and situation-specific microcultures. This is investigated through both qualitative and quantitative analyses of data collected by INTERFACH, including a pedagogical content knowledge test, a teacher survey, and a video study.