Lynn Cecilia Hart

• PhD
• Professor at Georgia State University

This project reviewed the state of the research drawing from articles published from 1990 to 2014 (25 years) with elementary prospective teachers (EPTs) as participants, who were completing university courses focused on mathematics content. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. Of these studies, 11 examined noncognitive fac...

The purpose of this study was to review the existing research on affect (beliefs, attitudes, and emotions) of elementary prospective teachers (EPTs) in university mathematics content courses. We use as our time period from publication in the United States of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for Schools Mathematics through 2016. A search of a...

Math skills are critical for children’s future success in school, as school-entry math knowledge is the strongest predictor of later academic achievement. Although there is a recent increase of literature on math with young children, there is a scarcity of research related to young children with disabilities. This quasi-experimental study with 50 p...

This multiple case study examined two groups of elementary prospective teachers (n=12) completing distinct mathematics content courses. Data were collected via two belief surveys, one content knowledge assessment, and individual interviews. The findings revealed differences in specialized content knowledge and mathematical beliefs between the two g...

This book is an edited volume addressing specific issues of significance for individuals involved with the undergraduate mathematics content preparation of prospective elementary teachers (PSTs). Teaching mathematics content courses to this group of students presents unique challenges. While some PSTs enter their teacher preparation program with we...

The purpose of this study was to examine the metacognitive awareness and the beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning of preservice elementary mathematics teachers and to explore the relationship between the two. The Metacognitive Awareness Instrument (MAI) and the Mathematics Beliefs Instrument (MBI) were implemented with 118 elementary mat...

This mixed methods study examined the mathematical preparation of elementary teachers in a Teach for America (TFA) program, focal participants for whom there is scant extant research. Data collection occurred before and after a university mathematics methods course, with a particular focus on the participants’ (n=22) mathematical beliefs, specializ...

Lack of appropriate and adequate mathematical knowledge in elementary teachers is a major concern in mathematics education. At their first meeting in Kalamazoo the working group on Developing Elementary Teachers’ Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching identified five significant issues to explore from multiple, diverse perspectives: (1) selecting/crea...

This multiple case study examined the experiences of two groups of elementary prospective teachers (N = 12) completing distinct mathematics content courses. The findings reveal perspectives on knowing, learning, and teaching mathematics as experienced in the context of these courses. One group characterized mathematics as a “record of knowledge,” d...

This qualitative study examined perspectives of two key stakeholder groups, instructors and students, on mathematics content courses for prospective elementary teachers (Mathematics for Teachers [MFT] courses). A collective case study approach, which drew from the data of two cases in different but comparable settings, contributed to the robustness...

This longitudinal study examines the effects of changes in an elementary teacher preparation program on mathematics beliefs and content knowledge for teaching of two groups of prospective teachers (N = 276): (1) those who completed a program with three mathematics content courses and two mathematics methods courses and (2) those who completed a pro...

The aim of this research is to determine the metacognitive awareness levels of elementary mathematics teacher trainees and to investigate whether their awareness differs according to gender and class level. We also investigate the relationship between the metacognitive awareness levels of trainee mathematics teachers and their overall performance c...

This paper describes development, implementation and teacher change in a Lesson Study project with eight third-grade teachers. In Part 1 of this chapter we discuss how we adapted Lesson Study to fit the special circumstances of the school system. We describe how we implemented Lesson Study over the course of a summer and school year, and how two ou...

Lesson Study has gained significant momentum around the globe in the mathematics education community in recent years. As a professional learning model based on collaboration, lesson study supports teacher learning of content, curriculum and student thinking as well as facilitating greater reflection and more focused conversations than is often real...

This study examined the prevalence of mixed methods research published in 11 prominent English‐language international and U.S. national educational research journals from 1995 to 2005. A total of 2381 studies were reviewed by research teams in four educational disciplines: literacy, mathematics, social studies, and science. Of the articles examined...

Teaching mathematics to elementary children requires highly developed content knowledge, and questions of how teachers acquire this knowledge are of significant concern to teacher preparation programs. Even with research to the contrary, some policy makers in the USA propose additional advanced mathematics courses. One voice that is missing when co...

The universal emphasis in mathematics education on teaching and learning for understanding can require substantial paradigmatic shifts for many elementary school teachers. Consequently, a pressing goal of teacher preparation programs should be the facilitation of these changes during program experiences. This longitudinal, mixed methods study prese...

This mixed methods examination of 710 research articles in mathematics education published in six prominent educational journals during the period 1995-2005 finds that 50% of the studies used qualitative methods only, 21% used quantitative methods only, and 29% mixed qualitative and quantitative methods in various ways. Although the number of mixed...

This study investigated the mathematics beliefs of 103 elementary preservice teachers in a developmental teacher preparation program that included a two-course mathematics methods sequence. Pedagogical beliefs became more cognitively oriented during the two methods courses; these beliefs then remained stable during student teaching. Personal effica...

This study investigated the mathematics beliefs and content knowledge of 103 elementary pre-service teachers in a developmental teacher preparation program that included a two course mathematics methods sequence. Pre-service teachers' pedagogical beliefs became more cognitively-oriented during the teacher preparation program with these changes occu...

This study investigated the mathematics beliefs and content knowledge of 103 elementary preservice teachers in a developmental teacher preparation program that included a two course mathematics methods sequence. Preservice teachers’ pedagogical beliefs became more cognitively-oriented during the teacher preparation program with these changes occurr...

This study examined changes in the mathematics pedagogical and teaching efficacy beliefs of elementary preservice teachers during a developmental teacher preparation program that included a two course mathematics methods sequence. Preservice teachers' beliefs became more cognitively-aligned during the first methods course but had mean decreases dur...

Results from an earlier study (Hart, 2002) suggested that a group of 14 teachers participating in an alternative preparation program for elementary teachers had developed beliefs that were consistent with current thinking in mathematics education. The current study follows 8 of those teachers into their first year of teaching in an urban classroom....

Beliefs as a practical indicator offer insight into a person’s previous experience and a “method for indirectly evaluating the instruction he has received” (Pehkonen & Torner, 1999). Using this meaning of beliefs, research was carried out to examine the beliefs teachers hold about their own change process. Four years after participating in a teache...

There is substantial evidence that teachers' beliefs about mathematics impact their teaching of mathematics. Given this evidence, it is appropriate that teacher education programs assess their effectiveness, at least in part, on how well they nurture beliefs that are consistent with their philosophy of learning and teaching. To explore this perspec...

A survey of 150 full-time faculty, graduate teaching assistants, and part-time instructors and 140 students at a public research university led to recommendations for a teacher development program based on respondents' expressed needs and institutional needs. Twelve essential steps in the needs assessment process are discussed as a model for design...

I do not believe it b possible for teachers to change their teaching practices if those practices arc not made the object of thought and consideration.

Discusses the role of teacher reflection in effecting the changes envisioned by the NCTM "Professional Teaching Standards." Presents reasons why teachers should reflect on their teaching, what teachers should examine, when reflection should be done, and five methods on how reflection can take place. (MDH)

Working in groups of three, seventh-grade students were video taped solving an applied mathematical problem. Audio tapes were made of each group discussing their session. Analysis focused on the first stage of Noddings (1984) model of problem solving for school mathematics: Creation of a representation. Some factors identified as impeding formation...

This paper describes implementation of a Lesson Study project with third grade teachers in a small school district to study the development of the critical lenses (perspectives) necessary for meaningful lesson study work. Adapting the Lesson Study process to meet school system needs, two outside facilita- tors stimulated teacher thinking with math...