Early childhood teachers’ mathematics-specific professional competence and its relation to the quality of learning support

Teacher expertise research uses different approaches, among them competence models. The model of mathematics-specific professional competence in this study differentiates action-related and reflective competence, which pertain to different types of professional demands according to dual processing theories and should positively impact teaching quality. The cross-sectional study with early childhood teachers investigates the structure of teacher competence and its relations to the quality of learning support in line with the notion of adaptive teaching when playing board games. The findings support a differentiation of competences according to the model (structural validity evidence). Expected relations between competences and the quality of the learning support are partially supported (predictive validity evidence). The study hence adds to research on teacher expertise by developing a specific understanding of competence in line with existing theories. Affordances of using competence models, as well as difficulties and open questions with relation to the emerging approach are discussed.