Predicting Secondary Mathematics-For-Teaching Knowledge Using Beliefs, Experience, and School Culture: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis

Author

Adam R. Brulhardt, CUNY Hunter CollegeFollow

Date of Award

Spring 6-17-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Education: Curriculum and Teaching

First Advisor

Sarah Bonner

Second Advisor

Nicora Placa

Third Advisor

Frank Gardella

Academic Program Adviser

Jody Polleck

Abstract

Research in recent decades has supported the notion that practice-based mathematical knowledge is crucial for effective teaching, playing an important role in enacting reform-oriented instruction required for improving student achievement. Despite its importance, teachers—especially novices—require more support in acquiring such knowledge, an ongoing challenge exacerbated by teacher shortages. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether collaborative school culture (CSC) explained variance in knowledge of algebra for teaching (KAT) beyond variance explained by mathematics-related beliefs and years of teaching experience for U.S. secondary teachers. Measures within an online Qualtrics survey included the Beliefs About Mathematics and Teaching Scale (Stipek et al., 2001), the School Culture Survey (Gruenert & Valentine, 1998), and the KAT assessment (Reckase et al., 2015). Using multimodal recruitment (professional networks, snowball sampling, social media), I obtained a representative sample across 34 states (N = 136), after controlling for data quality. Results from testing hierarchical regression models suggested a nonsignificant relationship between CSC and KAT, even when accounting for beliefs and experience. I performed exploratory subgroup analyses using the open-ended KAT item. For teachers with mathematics education degrees, transmissionist beliefs were negatively associated with KAT, β = –0.20, p = .06, 90% CI [–0.94, –0.07]. For a less experienced subgroup, experience was positively associated with KAT after accounting for beliefs, β = 0.21, p = .08, 90% CI [0.01, 0.12]. Despite study limitations, there are several implications for researchers, school administrators, and teacher education.

Recommended Citation

Brulhardt, Adam R., "Predicting Secondary Mathematics-For-Teaching Knowledge Using Beliefs, Experience, and School Culture: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/1295