Shulman (1986) identified teachers’ knowledge as a missing paradigm in research on teaching. Since then teachers’ subject knowledge has been a key area in research and policy of primary education. In England, all trainee teachers are required to pass the skill tests in numeracy, literacy and ICT as part of requirements for the award of Qualified Teacher Status. Shulman’s (1986) constructs of content knowledge provide a theoretical framework of teachers’ knowledge. Informed by Shulman’s framework, research suggests that an effective teacher needs to understand mathematics in an in-depth and connected manner (e.g. Ma, 1999, and Askew et al 1997). Rowland et al (2005) proposes a practice-based framework of knowledge for teaching - the Knowledge Quarter with four dimensions (foundation, transformation, connection and contingency). What is common and of great importance in different models of teachers’ knowledge is that teachers’ knowledge needed for mathematics teaching is multidimensional (Goulding and Petrou, 2008). In relation to content knowledge, a deficit model of teachers’ knowledge highlights deficiencies and misconceptions in mathematical knowledge of primary teachers (e.g. Bennett & Carre, 1993). Research into the relationship between teachers’ subject knowledge and effective classroom teaching questions the assumption of the deficit model, and argues that the relationship between teachers’ subject knowledge and effective teaching in the classroom is a complex one, and that there are many other factors involved in teaching (e.g. Askew et al, 1997, and Goulding et al 2002). To improve teaching, teachers’ subject knowledge is deemed to be an important ingredient. Teacher education programmes need to address the element while recognise the complexity of learning system. Scottish Teachers for a New Era (STNE) is a six year research project funded by Scottish Government, Hunter Foundation and the University of Aberdeen. It investigates and develops a new model for teacher education (a new BEd Programme) based on three broad design principles adapted from the American Teachers for a New Era. As part of the STNE project, the study investigates a cohort of 95 BEd students’ subject knowledge in mathematics.

The students’ entry qualifications in mathematics, assessment results in Year 3 and the Year 4 mathematics examination serve as main data sources. The study explores the nature of errors and misconceptions identified in the Year 4 mathematics examination, and the relationship between the students’ entry qualifications, their performance in the Year 3 assessment and in the Year 4 examination. It considers how the problems identified in student teachers’ subject knowledge in mathematics might be addressed through Continuing Professional Development in induction year and first year as a fully registered teacher. Implications for the development of the BEd programme are also discussed. Within the broad STNE research framework, the findings of the study may be examined further to explore the relationship between subject knowledge and confidence, and the relationship between subject knowledge and effective teaching.

The initial data analysis indicates that the student teachers find difficult to understand in both subject matter knowledge (e.g. Fraction) and pedagogical content knowledge (e.g. how to explain to upper primary children why squares tessellate).