The Influence of Students’ Perception of Pedagogical Content Knowledge on Self-efficacy in Self-regulating Learning in Training of Future Teachers

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate students’ perceptions of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). In recent years, there has been growing interest in the the identification of competencies and didactical capacities for teachers and future teachers. In this context, the PCK has been defined as the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular topics, problems, or issues are organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners, and presented for instruction (Shulman, 1987). PCK includes the representation of concepts, pedagogical techniques, knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn, knowledge of students’ prior knowledge and theories of epistemology. Grossman (1990) distinguish four general areas of teacher knowledge that can be seen as the cornerstones of the emerging work on professional knowledge for teaching: general pedagogical knowledge, knowledge of context, subject matter knowledge and PCK (Syh-Jong Jang, 2010). Therefore, our approach aims to highlight the influence of students’ perception regarding their teachers’ level of PCK, the level of cooperation between teacher and student and academic specialization (human and social sciences vs. mathematical sciences) on self-efficacy in self-regulating learning.