Pre-service chemistry teachers’ use of pedagogical transformation competence to develop topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge for planning to teach acid–base equilibrium

Abstract

In this study based on mixed-methods design, we aimed to examine to what extent the participants underwent pedagogical transformation and developed topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for planning to teach acid–base equilibrium. Training for the acquisition of pedagogical transformation competence to develop topic-specific PCK was provided for 12 weeks during the teaching methods course. Through this intervention, the participants were taught pedagogical transformation competence in different chemistry topics and were supposed to employ it in another topic that was not covered through the intervention. To fulfill this aim, the use of explicit discussions of the transformation of content knowledge as a teaching strategies and explicit topic-specific PCK use were provided throughout the intervention. A total of 13 junior pre-service chemistry teachers participated in the intervention. The content knowledge test, Content Representation (CoRe), semi-structured interviews, focus group interview, and reflection papers were the data sources. A rubric created by the researchers was used to analyse the pre- and post-CoRe data to determine to what extent the participants could develop topic-specific PCK for planning to teach the acid–base equilibrium topic, which was not discussed through the intervention. The results showed that 11 of the 13 participants could achieve transfer of what they had learnt and experienced during the intervention to plan for a new topic, and this was identified as an enrichment of at least one topic-specific PCK component. This study presented an uneven development of topic-specific PCK components as a product of the transformation. The findings revealed that the participants showed more progress in transferring content knowledge to students’ difficulties and alternative conceptions, and instructional strategies than in the assessment component of topic-specific PCK. This study provided valuable information about pre-service teachers’ use of the pedagogical transformation competence acquired during the intervention to develop topic-specific PCK for planning to teach acid–base equilibrium and the development of the knowledge of assessment. Implications for both the enrichment of science/chemistry teacher education and future research were presented.