Enhancing mathematics teachers’ number sense awareness and knowledge through an interdisciplinary, technology-supported professional development program

This study investigated changes in mathematics teachers’ number sense test performance and reported awareness following participation in an interdisciplinary, technology-supported professional development program. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed with 24 mathematics teachers from public schools in Türkiye. The five-day program integrated hands-on and real-world number sense tasks with technology-supported and interdisciplinary activities, including virtual reality, Scratch coding, virtual manipulatives, GeoGebra, STEM, nature-based learning, mathematical modeling, origami, and logic games. Teachers engaged in workshops and hands-on activities that promoted exploration, collaboration, and reflection. Data were collected using a Number Sense Awareness Questionnaire and a Number Sense Test (NST), administered before and after the intervention, together with an Activity Evaluation Form. The NST results showed a statistically significant pre–post change in performance, accompanied by a large effect size. Qualitative findings revealed increased awareness of number sense components, including estimation, numerical magnitude, multiple representations, reference points, and operational reasoning, and their relevance to instructional and everyday contexts. Teachers valued the technology-supported, interdisciplinary, and hands-on activities for their engagement, classroom applicability, and real-life connections. Overall, the program was associated with improvements in NST performance, increased reported awareness of number sense, and positive perceptions of the instructional applicability of these activities.