Abstract
Efforts to improve student–teacher education have recently focused on developing adequate Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) as a critical element for effective preparation. Despite many initiatives implemented in teacher education programs, however, their effectiveness in developing student–teachers’ PCK and factors affecting the PCK development are under-researched and evidenced. Drawing upon theories about and research on PCK, this study examined whether a recently updated 2-year teacher education program could develop student–teachers’ PCK effectively and explored what factors influencing the PCK development of student–teachers with different developmental trajectories. Forty English-as-foreign-language (EFL) student–teachers on the program were involved as participants. This study employed a longitudinal research design. Data were collected at four different stages along with the program through the content representation matrix, interviews with all the participants, and focus group interviews with four particularly sampled participants. Findings revealed that the current teacher education program successfully enhanced student–teachers’ PCK and the factors influencing different PCK developmental trajectories were varied and personalized. Implications for teacher education are also discussed.
Highlights
Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the field of teacher education and professional development has attracted considerable attention as it has long been regarded as an important predictor of teacher quality (Nilsson and Loughran, 2012; Park and Suh, 2015)
We investigated the effectiveness of a carefully designed 2-year teacher education program on developing EFL student–teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and explored the factors influencing the PCK development of student–teachers with different developmental trajectories
This study presented the following findings: (1) this 2-year teacher education program successfully enhanced EFL student–teachers’ PCK and promoted a positive shift of their PCK level moving from Limited to Proficient; (2) among the four purposefully sampled participants, we identified three types of PCK developmental trajectories: surge-stabilized (Tara and Carol), linear-increased (Zoe), and zigzag-progressed (Nina)
Summary
Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the field of teacher education and professional development has attracted considerable attention as it has long been regarded as an important predictor of teacher quality (Nilsson and Loughran, 2012; Park and Suh, 2015). PCK is central to quality teaching as it reveals the special amalgam of content and pedagogy that forms teachers’ professional understanding of how particular topics, issues or questions are organized, sequenced and represented for teaching (Shulman, 1987). Acquiring appropriate knowledge of content and a rich teaching repertoire that mediates learning takes considerable efforts on the part of individual student–teachers. Many teacher education programs are still packed with general information student–teachers “need” to know, provide teachers with “methods” courses relating to teaching a specific subject and teaching practicum in one or more schools (Zhang and Ben Said, 2014; Kind, 2019). Despite repeated calls for change and reform in teacher education, “inadequate subject matter preparation” and “inconsistent teacher education practice” remain long-standing themes
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