Yinna Zhang, PhD
Yinna studied teacher competence in early mathematics while pursuing her doctoral degree at Erikson and Loyola University Chicago. She worked as a research fellow with Erikson’s Early Math Collaborative. During her doctoral study, she also served as a consultant for a project designed to measure content knowledge for teaching mathematics in middle school at the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in New Jersey. In addition, she worked as a volunteer and a summer school teacher at the Lab Schools of the University of Chicago, consulted for an early intervention project, and served as co-chair of the Doctoral Student Association at Erikson.
In her dissertation study, Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Early Mathematics: What Teachers Know and How It is Associated with Teaching and Learning, Dr. Zhang examined a critical issue for effective teaching in early mathematics: pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) that teachers possess. Her study highlights the critical importance of and need for helping early childhood professionals to improve their understanding of how to teach math in order to advance students’ learning. Dr. Zhang received a Vote of Distinction Award for her dissertation.
Right now, Yinna is working as director of Erikson Institute’s International Initiative. She has been applying her understanding of child development and teaching effectiveness in training programs for early childhood professionals since 2015.
Research Presentations
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Zhang, Y.,
Chen, J-Q.
Illinois Education Research Council -
Zhang, Y.
, & Sparr, M., Cerezci, B., McCray, J., & Chen, J-Q. (2012, April). Unpacking pedagogical content knowledge in early mathematics: A new measurement tool. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Loyola University Interdisciplinary Research Symposium for Graduate School Students, Chicago, IL.
Loyola University Interdisciplinary Research Symposium for Graduate School Students -
Zhang, Y.
, Bezruczko, N., & Chen, J-Q. (2011, April). Sensitivity, stability, and reliability: Testing teacher attitude variable on early mathematics. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Indianapolis, IN.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics