The preparation of Mathematics Teachers in Australia - ACDS

achelor degree (n=220/313; 8% of all teachers) and by a minority of teachers with an educationrelated
bachelor degree (n=112/921; 4% of all teachers).
Table 5.1 Tertiary qualifications held by mathematics teachers
diploma /
certificate
bachelor degree
Proportion of all
respondents
Tertiary qualification
Number of teachers
with qualification
(%) 1
(n=2924)
Diploma of Education 1680 57.5
other Diploma/Certificate (teaching
related)
237 8.1
Diploma/Certificate (mathematics) 44 1.5
other Diploma/Certificate 142 4.9
Bachelor (science) 1378 47.1
Bachelor (education/teaching) 921 31.5
Bachelor (arts/humanities) 313 10.7
Bachelor (engineering) 83 2.8
Bachelor (commerce/economics) 69 2.4
Bachelor (mathematics) 36 1.2
other Bachelor (eg health-related) 24 0.8
honours /
higher degree
Honours 328 11.2
Masters 344 11.8
PhD 36 1.2
other higher degree qualification 49 1.7
1 Most respondents listed two or more qualifications. Where two Bachelor degrees were indicated by the
respondent, each is included as a discrete qualification in the frequencies above. It should be noted, however,
that some of these may have been taken as combined, or ‘double’, degrees.
Nearly half the mathematics teachers (45%) held a bachelor degree in science (Table 5.1), some at
honours level (n=216/1326). A small number held mathematics (n=34) or science-related (n=67)
higher degree qualifications.
5.2 Mathematics teaching method studies
Most teachers (84%) had studied mathematics teaching methods units as part of their tertiary study
(Table 5.2), and more than 60 per cent of teachers had completed more than one unit of study.
Teachers of senior school had the strongest background in this area (Table 5.2). Senior school
teachers were significantly more likely to have studied more than two units, while one in three of their
peers without senior teaching responsibilities had studied none (p