A Comparative Analysis of Primary-School-Relevant Mathematical Knowledge of Beginning Primary Teacher Education Students and Secondary School Graduates in Austria

Abstract

This study investigates, based on two representative samples (n_students = 289, n_graduates = 249), whether first-year students in primary teacher education in Austria demonstrate lower levels of primary-school-relevant mathematical content knowledge compared to secondary school graduates. The analysis examines whether potential performance differences indicate a specific negative selection into primary teacher education or whether they can be explained by structural characteristics of the comparison groups. A slight advantage is observed for the secondary school graduates (r = .09), particularly in the domain of measurement and quantities. However, the teacher education students show greater homogeneity in their results. When gender is taken into account — approximately 90% of the teacher education students are female — no evidence of negative selection is found. General gender disparities in mathematics achievement in Austria help to contextualize the differences between the groups. Despite higher average scores among the secondary school graduates, the overall rate of correctly solved mathematical tasks remains low in both groups, indicating fundamental deficits. The findings suggest that basic mathematical concepts are only partially available in both groups and that subject-specific entry requirements at the beginning of studies cannot be taken for granted. These results highlight the importance of explicitly addressing mathematical content knowledge in teacher education and building on the existing initial conditions. However, further conclusions regarding the design of teacher education programs cannot be derived from the present findings.