Teacher competence in inclusive mathematics education: Examining the effects of an innovative professional development program on teacher noticing

This study investigated the effects of an innovative professional development program aimed at enhancing teacher noticing skills and professional knowledge in inclusive (mathematics) education in secondary algebra instruction. A total of 653 participants, comprising master’s students, teachers in preparatory service, and in-service teachers from Germany, participated in a pretest–posttest evaluation design that included a control group. The program comprised 18 hours of coursework that integrated novel teaching materials and video-based learning activities that combined both mathematics pedagogical and general pedagogical perspectives on teacher noticing and associated knowledge. The results indicated significant improvements in teachers’ noticing skills and professional knowledge for the intervention group across all investigated facets, particularly for teacher noticing under a pedagogical perspective and mathematics pedagogical knowledge, compared to a control group that exhibited no significant changes. Effect sizes ranged from small to medium, suggesting that the professional development program effectively improved participants’ knowledge of inclusive teaching and their abilities to perceive, interpret, and make decisions in inclusive contexts. Notably, master’s students exhibited the most substantial gains in all competencies, while in-service teachers primarily improved their teacher noticing from a pedagogical perspective. The findings underscore the importance of tailored professional development for fostering teacher noticing in inclusive mathematics education and yield valuable insights into the competencies necessary for inclusive (mathematics) education.