A designated professional development program for promoting mathematical modelling competency among leading teachers

Mathematical modelling is an important component of STEM education in the 21st century. This study examines how a designated professional development program impacts teachers' perceptions of mathematical modelling instruction and their mathematical modelling competency. The perceptions were assessed by a pre-post questionnaire and their modelling competency was measured by their solutions to modelling tasks, over three different timepoints. The results show a positive change in teachers' perceptions of modelling instruction and a positive trend in their competency to apply certain stages of the mathematical modelling cycle. In the study, methodological and practical contributions are discussed with respect to promoting and assessing mathematical modelling competence among mathematical teachers.