Journal article
Preservice teachers’ pedagogical decisions in virtual simulated teaching: Effects of a structured digital feedback intervention
Journal of digital learning in teacher education
05/22/2026
DOI: 10.1080/21532974.2026.2672947
Abstract
This study investigates how a simulated teaching intervention, supported by structured feedback, influences preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) pedagogical decision-making and their enactment of reform-oriented mathematics teaching practices aligned with NCTM’s (2014) Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices. As part of a larger project, PSTs (n = 160) enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course participated in a virtual classroom simulation. A subset (n = 39) engaged in two teaching episodes spaced six weeks apart, with a structured virtual debrief and feedback intervention occurring between sessions. Grounded in Grossman et al.’s (Citation2009) pedagogies of practice and informed by diSessa’s (Citation1993) knowledge-in-pieces perspective on learning, this study draws on NCTM’s (2014) eight Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices to examine how PSTs reflect on and apply specific strategies to support student thinking. Qualitative data from transcribed simulations and debrief reflections were collaboratively coded to identify evidence of change, alignment, and reflection across teaching episodes. Findings reveal growth in PSTs’ ability to enact reform-oriented practices, particularly in facilitating mathematical discourse and eliciting student reasoning. These results suggest that simulation, when coupled with timely feedback, offers a valuable approximation of practice that supports preservice teachers in developing more coherent, student-centered instructional strategies.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Preservice teachers’ pedagogical decisions in virtual simulated teaching: Effects of a structured digital feedback intervention
- Creators
- Anne Estapa - University of IowaEmily Herbst - University of IowaJasmin Wangler - University of IowaMohammed A. Humaidi - University of IowaMatthew Lira - Iowa Department of Education
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of digital learning in teacher education
- DOI
- 10.1080/21532974.2026.2672947
- ISSN
- 2153-2974
- eISSN
- 2332-7383
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Number of pages
- 17
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 05/22/2026
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations; Teaching and Learning
- Record Identifier
- 9985166828302771
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