Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Instructional Practices and Students’ Conceptual Understanding in Algebra and Geometry: Implementation of the Mathematical Modelling Framework for Ghana (MMF-Gh)

This study examined pre-service mathematics teachers’ perceptions of mathematical modelling, changes in their instructional practices, and differences in students’ conceptual understanding scores following the implementation of the Mathematical Modelling Framework for Ghana (MMF-Gh). The quantitative component employed a one-group pre-test–post-test design involving 60 pre-service mathematics teachers from two selected Colleges of Education and 400 Junior High School students. Two mathematics education experts contributed to the review and refinement of the framework. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, lesson-plan evaluation rubrics, classroom observation instruments, and pre- and post-tests. Descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests were used for analysis. Before implementation, 85.0% of participating pre-service teachers agreed or strongly agreed that mathematical modelling was important in mathematics teaching. Post-intervention lesson-plan scores were significantly higher across all assessed criteria (p < .01). Observed instructional time allocated to teacher-led exposition decreased from 85.0% to 40.0%, while student-centred activities increased from 15.0% to 60.0%. Students’ post-test scores were significantly higher in algebraic reasoning, geometric visualization, problem-solving skills, and mathematical communication (p < .01), with mean differences ranging from 23.0 to 30.0 percentage points. The findings document favourable initial perceptions and subsequent differences in instructional practices and student scores within the participating settings.

Mathematical modelling; pre-service mathematics teachers; instructional practices; algebra; geometry; conceptual understanding; Ghana.

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