Investigation And Analysis Of Beijing Primary School Teachers Of Mathematics Knowledge

Subject matter knowledge is the basic foundation of a teacher's knowledge. It is one of the major components of technical knowledge needed to provide quality education. Mere knowledge of facts, concepts, theories and process is not enough.This research aims to: one, reflect the general condition of teachers'grasp of the study of mathematics; two, analyze the factors that affect a teacher's knowledge of the study of mathematics.In accordance with research objectives, a self-devised survey was administered to a random sampling of 134 elementary teachers in Beijing. This survey tool was devised based on the national standards of the mathematics curriculum and on American scholar Deborah Loewenberg Ball's classification of the dimensions of mathematical knowledge. Test validity and reliability were measured and data interpretation was accomplished through the use of the SPSS software. Research data results show that: 1) the overall proficiency of mathematics subject matter knowledge of elementary teachers in Beijing does not show promise; 2) elementary teachers have a better grasp of traditional mathematics knowledge as compared with contemporary mathematics concepts and content; 3) the dimension and level of the elementary teachers'mathematics subject matter knowledge need further improvement; 4) the level and quality of the elementary teachers'educational attainment leave much to be desired. This paper further used the interview method for the explorative analysis of the reasons behind the obtained results.Results of the research verify existing materials on related research and open new concerns on the subject matter as well. Research conclusion not only provides data on the research of teachers'knowledge but also provides new insight on the education and training of teachers.