Student Teachers’ Knowledge in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

Student teachers’ knowledge during teaching practice becomes the contested phenomenon in the era of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Inadequate knowledge negatively impacts the existing South African curriculum and assessment policy statement (CAPS) subjects, despite the attempt at introducing the new 4IR curriculum into schools. Consequently, this qualitative interpretive case study explored student teachers’ knowledge in the teaching of CAPS subjects. The study purposively selected thirty-one student teachers from a South African university who were conducting teaching practice; they were also conveniently co-opted because they were fourth years, conducting teaching practice in three different schools. A technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) framework was used to frame the study. File observation, reflective activity, and a one-on-one semi-structured method were utilised to generate data, which was analysed using both deductive and inductive process. Credibility and dependability were used to ensure trustworthiness, while the anonymity and confidentiality of this study were maintained to ensure ethics. This paper revealed that student teachers are good at standard content, pedagogical, and technological knowledge, while having no notion of advanced knowledge that caters for 4IR. Hence, inadequate training received from the university contributes to their failings. Thus, Advanced Signal (AS)-TPACK emerged from the findings as the most useful framework for knowledge growth in education to prepare student teachers in the 4IR era.