Teacher Knowledge Experiment: Conditions of the Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge

German pre-service teacher education aims to foster the concurrent formation of content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge. Accordingly, the coordination, sequencing, and prioritization of learning opportunities for the three areas of professional knowledge represent vital issues of the organization of teacher education at German universities. In this context, reanalyzing selected data of a previous experiment, we examined effects of instruction on pedagogical content knowledge about fractions in sixth-grade mathematics on the formation of corresponding content knowledge and generic pedagogical knowledge. Totaling 59 pre-service elementary school teachers, three groups had received seven hours of intervention on either content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, or pedagogical content knowledge. Analyses of video recordings, ratings of treatment quality, and tests of professional knowledge revealed strong internal validity of the data. We found small effects of instruction on pedagogical content knowledge on the formation of both content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. However, contrary to our expectations, effects on pedagogical knowledge were more consistent and statistically robust than effects on content knowledge. For the development of pedagogical knowledge in teacher education, this finding highlights the potential of parallel or integrated coursework, in which pre-service teachers use specific instructional strategies and student conceptions as examples to derive generic principles of teaching and learning.

ABSTRACTThis paper concludes the Special Issue (SI) ‘Probing the Amalgam: the relationship between science teachers’ content, pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge’. We review the five papers (Sorge et al; Gess-Newsome et al; Kind; Pitjeng-Mosabala and Rollnick; and Liepertz and Bronowski) by discussing evidence these present regarding the relationships between content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); the development of CK, PK and PCK in novice and experienced secondary science teachers and how CK, PK and/or PCK impact students’ learning. In conclusion, we draw these findings together in offering proposals for future research via reconsideration of Shulman’s amalgam. This includes post-hoc examination of a PCK model known as ‘the Consensus Model’ (Gess-Newsome, [2015]. A model of teacher professional knowledge and skill including PCK: Results of the thinking from the PCK Summit. In A. Berry, P. J. Friedrichsen, & J. Loughran (Eds.), Re-examining Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science Education (pp. 28–42). New York, NY: Routledge; Neumann, Kind, & Harms [2018]. Probing the amalgam: The relationship between science teachers’ content, pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge. International Journal of Science Education, 1–15) and presentation of a novel PCK structure based on evidence from the SI studies.

This paper presents a qualitative cross-level study with a focus on prospective and in-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of redox reactions in Germany. The objective was to investigate and analyze the differences in PCK between those in pre-service teacher education and those working as teachers. The sample included four different groups: bachelor’s students, master’s students, graduate teacher trainees, and in-service teachers. Data were collected by an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The online questionnaire was developed based on misconceptions and learning difficulties regarding redox reactions. Sixty-two participants answered the questionnaire and the interviews were carried out with twelve participants. The results revealed that teaching experience makes a difference. Pre-service teachers described quite traditional and content-focused approaches while experienced teachers emphasized the application of the content. Experienced teachers showed a more developed repertoire of instructional strategies. Participants differed also in their knowledge about learners and the curriculum. Concerning assessment, practices were at a quite general pedagogical knowledge level and not domain-specific. Although teacher education in Germany includes several chances for internships, it is suggested that central aspects of teachers’ PCK start to develop and settle only when they begin to work as teachers. To avoid perpetuating traditional practices, investment in continuous professional development is needed.

Teacher education is the very first step for preparing quality teachers and it is crucial to provide quality teacher training. This research aims to analyze and compare pre-service teacher education policies and programs in Myanmar, the Philippines, and Japan, focusing on secondary science teachers. A case study research design was employed by utilizing Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. The result shows that TPACK components found in national education policies and programs in Myanmar were Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). On the other hand, TPACK found in the Philippines and Japan were CK, PK, Technological Knowledge (TK), PCK, Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), and Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK). In all three countries, limited provision of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) was found. It is interpreted that provision of a balanced and sufficient knowledge of TPACK is essential to well equip pre-service teachers with required knowledge and skills considering internationalization and transnational education. This research uncovered the general patterns and trends in pre-service teacher education for science in three Asian countries as well as their uniqueness and best practices.

ABSTRACTThis Special Issue aims to present evidence about the relationships between content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); the development of these types of knowledge in novice and experienced secondary science teachers; and how CK, PK and/or PCK impact students’ learning. Since Shulman’s introduction of PCK as the feature that distinguishes the teacher from the content expert, researchers have attempted to understand, delineate, assess and/or develop the construct in pre- and in-service teachers. Accordingly, empirical findings are presented that permit further discussion. Outcomes permit post-hoc examination of a recent, collectively described, ‘consensus’ model of PCK, identifying strengths and potential issues. As we will illustrate, the relationship between CK, PK and PCK is central to this; that is, probing the hypothesis of pedagogical content knowledge as an ‘amalgam’ of content and pedagogical knowledge.

This study explored experiences of beginning agriculture teachers’ approaches to teaching content. The research question guiding the study was: how does agriculture teachers’ knowledge of content and students influence their process of breaking down content knowledge for teaching? The researchers employed a grounded theory approach in which five beginning teachers were interviewed and observed teaching a lesson. The researchers found beginning teachers’ knowledge of content and students greatly influenced how they broke down content knowledge for student understanding. Five major themes emerged: students’ prior knowledge and enrollment in sequences of courses influenced content covered, student engagement methods were not primarily driven by content, differing perceptions of content difficulty for students shaped teaching decisions, deconstructing content for students was deemed important by teachers, and teachers engaged in a form of learning egocentrism. These findings support further research on teachers’ development of pedagogical content knowledge, including knowledge of content and students overtime as it was found to be an influential knowledge base. Recommendations include providing teachers with more opportunities to explore integrating student’s prior knowledge into the curriculum and incorporating student thinking about agriculture content more specifically in teacher preparation.

هدفت الدراسة إلى استقصاء فعالية تخطيط الدرس في تنمية المعرفة البيداغوجية للمحتوى الرياضي لدى الطلبة/المعلمين. اهتم الباحثون في العقدين الأخيرين بمعرفة المعلم المهنية، ومن هنا ظهر الاهتمام بالمعرفة البيداغوجية للمحتوى کمکون أساسي لمعرفة المعلم. المعرفة البيداغوجية للمحتوى الرياضي هي مزيج من معرفة المعلمين العميقة لمحتوى الرياضيات، ومعرفتهم لخصائص المتعلمين فيما يتعلق بالمحتوى الرياضي، ومعرفتهم لأصول التدريس الضرورية لمساعدة المتعلمين على تعلم المحتوى الرياضي. في الدراسة الحالية تم مطالبة الطلبة المعلمين بتحضير سبعة دروس وفقا لنموذج مقترح لتخطيط الدرس. شارک في الدراسة ٣٠ طالبا معلما من طلاب الفرقة الثالثة شعبة الرياضيات. تم استخدام المنهج شبه التجريبي في إعداد أدوات المعالجة التجريبية للدراسة وتطبيقها باستخدام تصميم المجموعة الواحدة ذات القياس القبلي البعدي. تم جمع البيانات من خلال مقياس المعرفة البيداغوجية للمحتوى الرياضي واختبار المعرفة الرياضية اللازمة لتدريس الجبر وتحليل تخطيط درس رياضيات. أظهرت نتائج الدراسة فعالية تخطيط الدرس في تنمية المعرفة البيداغوجية للمحتوى الرياضي لدى الطلبة/المعلمين. وفي ضوء نتائج الدراسة، تم تقديم التوصيات المناسبة. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of lesson plan in the development of mathematical pedagogical content knowledge of students / teachers. In the last two decades, researchers interested in the professional knowledge of teachers, therefore pedagogical content knowledge became an essential ingredient for the teacher's knowledge. Mathematical pedagogical content knowledge is a combination of teachers’ deep knowledge of math content, their knowledge of the characteristics of learners in respect of the content, and their knowledge of pedagogy. In the current study, students/teachers were required to prepare seven lesson plans according to a suggested model. The study group consisted of 30 pre-service math teachers. The quasi-experimental approach was used in the preparation of the experimental treatment study tools and applied using the design of one group with pre and post test. Data were collected through the mathematical pedagogical content knowledge questionnaire, mathematical knowledge test, and analysis of lesson plans. Study results showed the effectiveness of lesson plan in the development of mathematical pedagogical content knowledge of students / teachers. In light of the results of the study, appropriate recommendations were presented.

This study aims to describe the content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge of students of pre-service physics teachers at Walisongo Semarang. The type of research is quantitative descriptive. The samples were Physics Pre-service teachers at Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang. The samples were 65 pre-service physics teachers determined by the purposive sampling technique. The method of collecting data used was a test, observation, and documentation. The results showed that pre-service physics teachers' content knowledge capabilities were in three categories, namely: 35% poor, 42% sufficient, and 23% good. The pedagogical knowledge test showed that 16% of physics pre-service teachers were in a good category, 77% were in a good category, and 7% were in a very good category. The results of the pedagogical content knowledge test showed that 12% of the pre-service physics teachers were in the poor, 30% were in the moderate category, 35% were in a good category, and 23% were in the very good category. Pre-service physics teachers had the lowest ability in determining other factors that influence teaching concepts, and the highest ability in determining important science concepts in the material to be taught. This research implies that remediation is needed to improve physics pre-service teachers' Pedagogical Content knowledge capabilities, which can be applied in the Plan of Learning course

The Malaysian Education Blueprint (PPPM) 2013-2025 has spurred significant reforms in the Primary School Standard Curriculum (KSSR) and Secondary School Standard Curriculum (KSSM), particularly concerning classroom-based assessment (CBA). CBA evaluates students' understanding and progress, informs instruction, and enhances the learning outcomes. Teachers with robust pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) are better equipped to design and implement effective CBA strategies that accurately assess students' comprehension and growth, provide personalised feedback, and guide instruction. This study aims to investigate the relationship between PCK and CBA among English as a Second Language (ESL) secondary school teachers in Selangor, Malaysia. A 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire was administered to 338 teachers across 27 regional secondary schools in Selangor. The Covariance-based structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the secondary school teachers demonstrated a high level of PCK, with content knowledge (CK) obtaining the highest mean, followed by pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The CBA practices among these teachers were also found to be high. SEM analysis showed a positive association between PK and CBA practices and between PCK and CBA. However, no positive association was observed between CK and CBA practices. In order to enhance teachers' PCK and ensure the effective implementation of CBA, which is crucial for student learning outcomes in Malaysian ESL secondary schools, it is recommended that continuous professional development opportunities be provided, specifically focusing on PCK and CBA.

Three kinds of knowledge that effective teachers should master have been proposed: content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Most PCK studies have been conducted in the mathematics or science domain. In recent years, a growing number of studies related to foreign language teachers’ PCK have appeared. However, there is a paucity of studies that explore teachers’ PCK in the field of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). In this study, we present a conceptualization of Chinese as foreign teachers’ PCK when they teach Chinese pronunciation. The research design builds on semi-structured interviews involving 20 CFL teachers ( n = 20), focusing on five PCK domains: (1) teachers’ knowledge of Chinese pronunciation subject content (initials, finals, tones, intonation, and stress), (2) their curriculum knowledge, (3) their knowledge of students’ mistakes and difficulties, (4) their knowledge of Chinese pronunciation-specific instructional strategies, and (5) their knowledge of instructional media. The results show that CFL teachers reflect a strong mastery of PCK concerning teaching tones, followed by initials and finals. Teachers’ PCK regarding teaching intonation and stress were much weaker in all five PCK components. Their PCK of teaching intermediate-level and advanced-level students was also limited by curriculum and time arrangement restrictions.

This study explores how Cambodian STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) pre-service teachers comprehended the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and its components, content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), technological knowledge (TK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), technological content knowledge (TCK) and their associations with demographic variables. Using a self-report questionnaire, the study surveyed 440 pre-service teachers from three distinct teacher training colleges. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation. Results showed that pre-service teachers rated themselves above the mean in all components: TPK and CK were the highest, and TCK and TPACK were the lowest. There was a significant difference in the gender and foreign language variables; males and being able to understand foreign languages were the favor. A negative relationship existed in age variables where younger pre-service teachers demonstrated higher competence in all aspects of TPACK except PCK. It concluded that Cambodian STEM pre-service teachers demonstrate adequate knowledge of content, pedagogy, and technology to integrate information communication and technology (ICT) into their teaching. Possessing a medium to a high level of TPACK, additional professional development programs are needed to assist pre-service teachers in reaching the highest TPACK level.

Existing studies conducted on education have aimed to contribute to educational reforms by focusing mostly on students. Both in Turkey and throughout the world, further studies are required to analyze teachers in addition to students, particularly teachers' knowledge base needs further investigation. Educational research should not necessarily be associated only with those conducted by collecting data in the field. Meta-synthesis studies that offer general outlooks on previous studies are also required in the field of education. To address this gap in the literature, this article aims to analyze studies in Turkey that have investigated pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the field of mathematics education.The concept of pedagogical content knowledge was first introduced by Lee S. Shulman at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in 1985. Shulman (1986) argued that there was an imbalance between content knowledge and general pedagogical knowledge and that no relation had been established between these two types of knowledge; he described this deficiency as the missing paradigm. With an effort to eliminate this deficiency, Shulman (1987) defined PCK as the special combination of content knowledge and pedagogy. Shulman conceptualized PCK in two categories. The first category is the knowledge of teaching strategies and representations that suggest how to organize, represent, and adapt the subjects that are taught. The second category is the knowledge of students' subject understanding at different levels. These two components are the unique professional expertise of teachers who act as the bridge connecting content and pedagogical knowledge.Despite the fact that Shulman's conceptualization of PCK is considered a cornerstone in the literature, he was later criticized by scholars working in this field. Depaepe, Verschaffel, and Kelchtermans (2013) collected the criticisms directed at Shulman's PCK model under five categories. The first was the lack of a theoretical and empirical basis for the presence of PCK as a separate category in the knowledge base of teachers. The second was related to his static view of PCK as a type of factual knowledge that could be acquired and applied independently from the classroom context. The third criticism arose from the concern of researchers about the possibility of theoretically and empirically distinguishing PCK from content knowledge. The fourth was that Shulman conceptualized PCK in a very narrow framework under two categories. The fifth one relied on the argument that PCK cannot be normative, as it can vary according to culture.In accordance with the criticisms in the literature, several scholars from different subject areas restructured Shulman's PCK model in different ways in an attempt to clarify the borders between PCK and other types of knowledge. In this context, the first studies on PCK were conducted by Shulman's colleagues (Grossman, 1990; Marks, 1990). Grossman, one colleague of Shulman, expressed PCK, which Shulman had framed too narrowly, by widening it. Grossman (1990) divided PCK into four components: (a) knowledge of students' understanding, (b) knowledge of teaching strategies, (c) knowledge of teaching purposes, and (d) knowledge of curriculum. Grossman expanded Shulman's PCK model by adding knowledge of teaching strategies and knowledge of curriculum as separate components in PCK.Marks (1990), another colleague of Shulman, divided PCK into four components in light of his empirical study's findings: (a) knowledge of subject matter, (b) knowledge of students' understanding, (d) knowledge of teaching media, such as materials, books, and so on, and (d) knowledge of teaching processes. Marks argued that these four components were not independent from each other but that they intensively interacted with each other. He advocated his argument, expressing that a mathematics teacher, when deciding whether or not the examples of mathematical operations in a course book are sufficient, reflects to a certain extent his/her knowledge of media for content education, knowledge of teaching processes, and knowledge of students' content comprehension. …

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of pedagogical content knowledge competencies of Ghana senior high school textile teachers on the modernisation of indigenous Ghanaian textile industry. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The study targeted senior high school textile teachers, senior high school textile graduates and heads of visual arts department. The sample size for the study was 243 (225 teachers, 12 textile graduates & 6 HoDs). Questionnaire, interview guide and observation were the research instruments employed for data collection. The result of H 01 indicated that the pedagogical content knowledge of textile teachers has influence on the skills textile graduates needed to modernise the indigenous textile industry. The findings of the study also signposted that the pedagogical content knowledge of the textile teachers cannot enable the textile students to acquire the requisite skills needed to modernise the indigenous textile industry. The findings of the study indicated most of the Ghana senior high schools lacked textile training facilities and resources needed to modernise the indigenous textile industry. The study recommended that ministry of education should periodically sponsor textile teachers to have industrial attachments in both local and international renowned textile industries to learn modern content knowledge of textile manufacturing. There should also be periodic capacity building workshops on vocational skills pedagogical knowledge to enable the textile teachers effectively transmit the content knowledge to their students effectively. Keywords: Content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge. DOI : 10.7176/ADS/78-01 Publication date: November 30th 2019

Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) represents the essential knowledge that teachers must master. TPACK consists of seven dimensions: Technological Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), Content Knowledge (CK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and the integration of all these in Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK). During the COVID-19 pandemic, lectures were shifted online, significantly impacting the TPACK development of pre-service math teachers. This research aims to contribute to the existing literature by examining how online lectures during a pandemic influence the TPACK of pre-service teachers. The study involves assessing the TPACK of 129 pre-service teachers who participated in both online lectures and offline Field Introduction of School activities. A sample of 39 students was selected using stratified random sampling. Data collection instruments included a self-assessment questionnaire, three open-ended questions answered by students, and performance assessments completed by tutors. Despite the challenges posed by online lectures during the pandemic, students demonstrated a good overall proficiency in TPACK, with Technological Knowledge (TK) exhibiting the highest achievement. However, other dimensions of TPACK showed weaker performance, likely due to obstacles encountered during online learning, such as difficulties in delivering material and engaging in online microteaching practices.

Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) framework for technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) is one of the most well-received and widely researched theoretical frameworks for technology integration in the classrooms. Chai et al. (2013) recent review found that more than 70 articles about TPACK have been published between 2003 and 2011 within the Scopus database. A website dedicated to TPACK research (http://tpack.org/) has accumulated more than 450 articles. The SSCI-listed journals have also published 134 articles on TPACK as of May 2015. As an analytical and creative framework, TPACK research can potentially generate deeper knowledge construction about ICT integration among researchers and educators. It could be refined, expanded, and improved upon to account for more variables that shape, empower, or constrain the development of ICT use in education (Chai et al. 2013; Voogt et al. 2013). Building upon Shulman’s (1986) model for pedagogical content knowledge, Mishra and Koehler (2006) added the dimension of technological knowledge and demonstrated how various kinds of teacher knowledge can be derived from the integration of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. These integrated forms of knowledge are pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), technological content knowledge (TCK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Together with technological knowledge (TK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and content knowledge (CK), these seven kinds of knowledge make up the TPACK framework. While this framework provides specifications for the kinds of teacher knowledge involved during technology integration, how teachers, educators, and researchers can create more technological pedagogical content knowledge need to be further unpacked. Tee and Lee (2011) have aptly positioned generating TPACK as a knowledge creation endeavor and Kramarski and Michalsky (2010) have found it necessary to support pre-service teachers’ metacognitive self-regulation as they create TPACK through design. The creation of knowledge is a complex matter and coupled with the situated nature of TPACK (Mishra and Koehler 2006); further theorizing of the epistemic nature and processes involved in creating TPACK are needed. Specifically, the TPACK framework specifies what teachers need to integrate technology but not how the process can be improved (Cox and Graham 2009). On the other hand, there is much emphasis on the use of technology to support pedagogical improvements, especially the kinds of pedagogies that support students to foster twenty-first century competencies (ISTE 2007; P21, 2007). Voogt and Roblin (2012) have identified ICT-based learning as a common element across all twenty-first century learning frameworks they have reviewed. ICT could be used as a cognitive tool, metacognitive tool, and epistemic tool to support critical thinking, creative and inventive thinking and authentic problem solving, which are also common elements of twenty-first century learning. Yet, there is still a lack of understanding about how the seven TPACK constructs are being applied by teachers as they formulate technology-integrated lessons to promote twenty-first century learning & Joyce Hwee Ling Koh joyce.koh@nie.edu.sg