Integration of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge in the Mathematics Learning Assessment Course: Strategies to Encourage Critical Thinking and Prepare Prospective Teachers to Face 21st-Century Challenges

Abstract

The Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework has emerged as an essential construct for equipping future educators to navigate the intricacies of 21st-century instructional environments. This investigation articulates how the integration of TPACK by prospective mathematics educators supports the development of learners' critical thinking. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, involving the collection of observational data recorded during microteaching episodes and complementary video capture arranged within the Assessment of Mathematics Learning course. Observers documented evidence using Iield notes and a predeIined structured protocol emphasizing the interplay of technological, pedagogical, and content domains, along with prospective teachers' speciIic tactics for fostering analytical reasoning. Systematic analysis disclosed that a predominant proportion of participants capably intertwined the three TPACK domains throughout the preparation and enactment of instructional episodes oriented towards the cultivation of critical thinking, albeit with discernible disparity regarding the comparative efIicacy of the pedagogical stratagems employed. Collectively, the results illuminate the degree to which future mathematics teachers are prepared to orchestrate learning experiences that effectively harmonize TPACK in the pursuit of advancing learners' critical interpretive capacities.