Noticing of argumentation: A comparison between pre-service and in-service secondary-school mathematics teachers

This study compares pre-service mathematics teachers’ (PSMTs) and in-service mathematics teachers’ (ISMTs) noticing of argumentation at the secondary-school level. Thirty-five PSMTs and 32 ISMTs engaged in analyzing argumentation classroom situations (ACSs) using an ACS-report format emphasizing two sub-skills of noticing: attending and interpretation. Analysis of the participants’ ACS reports revealed differences between the two research groups. The ISMTs paid a high level of attention to all four aspects: ‘co-constructing of arguments’, ‘critiquing arguments’, ‘mutual respect’, and ‘working toward consensus-building’, whereas the PSMTs paid a high level of attention to ‘mutual respect’ and ‘co-constructing of arguments’ aspects only. In terms of interpretation, the ISMTs outperformed the PSMTs in interpreting the argumentation through the lenses of ‘task characteristics’, ‘teaching strategies’, and ‘student cognitive characteristics’. The findings are interpreted in light of both theory and practice.