Nvestigating science and mathematics teacher candidate’s perceptions of TPACK-21 based on 21st century skills

Abstract

Twenty-first century teachers are expected to have the ability to benefit from collaboration, problem solving, creative and innovative thinking, information and communication technology (ICT) applications. Teachers need to know various pedagogical approaches and appropriate ways to use ICT to support the development of twenty-first century skills of their students. The framework of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) provides a theoretical model for studying the way teachers use ICT in education. The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationships of the components that constitute the TPACK-21 scale. The data were collected from 254 teacher candidates at a state university in Turkey from the science and math departments in the academic year of 2017-2018. For this purpose, the relationships between the components/factors that constitute the TPACK-21 scale were examined with a model. Relational survey model was used in the research. In the research, the scale developed by Valtonen et al. (2017) determining prospective teachers’ 21st century skills of TPACK-21 was used. The data obtained in the study were analyzed by structural equation modeling. The direct and positive effects of Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK21) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK21) from external variables consisting of binary knowledge fields of the research are seen on TPACK-21. These variables explain 74% of the change in TPACK-21. TCK is the variable that affects TPACK-21 the most. Another important result reached in this study is that teachers' content knowledge (CK) directly and positively affect TCK and PCK21 and this effect is greater than the effect of technological knowledge (TK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK21). When the results of this research are evaluated, a gradual model including CK and PCK21 can be proposed instead of a direct technology-based approach to professional development programs developed to increase 21st century competencies of teachers’ TPACK-21s.