Topic-specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge Research Articles

Exploring the rationale for lesson design as a tool for developing and evaluating science pre-service teachers' topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge

The primary goal of initial teacher education programmes is to develop pre-service teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). In science education, there have been calls for programmes to help pre-service teachers develop this knowledge at a topic-specific level. In this study, I investigated how lesson planning using a specific guideline called the rationale for lesson design (RfLD) can be used as a tool to develop science pre-service teachers' topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK). This study is positioned within the collective PCK realm of the refined consensus model of PCK and the five components of TSPCK. The participants were six third-year Life Sciences pre-service teachers. Data were collected through lesson plans on the topic of evolution and narrative interviews. A 4-point scale rubric was adapted to score the quality of pre-service teachers' PCK in terms of the five components of TSPCK in each section of the RfLD. Results indicate that the pre-service teachers showed higher levels of PCK especially, in terms of learner prior knowledge and curricular saliency. I argue these scores can be attributed to the RfLD guidelines. I recommend that science pre-service teacher programmes need to expose students to this guideline as a way of developing their PCK in teaching methodology modules. Furthermore, I argue for the value of the RfLD in tracking pre-service teachers' PCK.

Construction of a Science Teacher's Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge in the Gifted Class

This study examines a science teacher's pedagogical content knowledge during instruction on the topics work and energy, simple machines, and friction force in a gifted class. The research adopts a single case study approach, employing qualitative methods. The participant is a middle school science teacher, and data collection tools include interviews, observations, card-sorting activities, and lesson plans. The main findings of the study are: (1) gifted students required additional science practice beyond the scope of the traditional curriculum, (2) the participating teacher encountered challenges when designing and implementing enrichment activities, (3) the characteristics of gifted students positively influenced the development of the teacher's pedagogical content knowledge, and (4) the presence of gifted students prompted a shift in the teacher's science teaching orientation from traditional methods to reform-based practices. Teachers need to have additional knowledge bases or Pedagogical Content Knowledge components. Notably, the research underscores the relevance of the knowledge of enrichment curriculum and knowledge of characteristics of gifted students in the training of science teachers, along with the crucial role of STO in the education of gifted students, especially in the context of teaching physics. These findings offer significant implications for the curriculum designed for gifted students, particularly concerning the teaching and learning of physics topics.

Teachers’ Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Driver in Understanding Graphs in Dynamics of Market

Teachers’ Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Driver in Understanding Graphs in Dynamics of Market

Integration of topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge components in secondary school science teachers’ reflections on biology lessons

Teachers’ reflections on their practice are a powerful tool for measuring and supporting their professional knowledge. Pedagogical content knowledge is one of the most influential domains of teacher professional knowledge. This multiple-case study investigated the topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK) components that Zambian secondary school science teachers integrate when reflecting on biology lessons. Three teachers from the same school were observed teaching a biology lesson and attended post-observation interviews. Data were mainly collected through lesson plans, lesson observation field notes and post-observation interviews. The data were analysed using in-depth analysis of explicit TSPCK, enumerative and constant comparative approaches. TSPCK maps were constructed to illustrate each teachers’ integration of TSPCK components. The results revealed four features about the integration of TSPCK components: (a) None of the teachers depended solely on a single TSPCK component as they integrated other components (b) The components curricular saliency, students’ prior knowledge and misconceptions, and conceptual teaching strategies were central in the TSPCK maps of all the teachers, while representations and analogies, and what make the topic easy/difficult to teach/learn were least integrated (c) All teachers had different pairs of reciprocal connections among TSPCK components, and (d) All teachers had different pairs of most integrated components. The implications of these findings for science and teacher education research were presented and discussed. It was concluded that teachers’ reflections revealed the integration between TSPCK components and showed them differently. The study recommends investigating teachers’ reflections over several lessons and tracking any changes in their TSPCK integration.

Examining Pre-Service Science Teachers' Personal and Enacted Pedagogical Content Knowledge About Seasons

This study examined pre-service science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) about seasons. The framework of this study was based on the Refined Consensus Model (RCM), and pre-service teachers’ topic-specific PCK was also discussed in two dimensions: personal PCK (pPCK) and enacted PCK (ePCK), which are included in this model. The pPCK of the pre-service teachers represents their declarative PCK, and their ePCK represents their dynamic PCK. This qualitative descriptive research included 18 pre-service science teachers. In the study, knowledge of pre-service teachers’ pPCK was collected in vignette-based individual semi-structured interviews, and data on their competencies regarding their ePCK, which they revealed in a real classroom environment, were collected through field observations and teaching video recordings. The study’s qualitative data were evaluated using two separate rubrics developed by the author using the literature. Accordingly, it was determined that the pre-service teachers who participated in the research had limited pPCK and ePCK on the seasons and that their topic-specific pPCK was partially better quality than their topic-specific ePCK. Moreover, pre-service teachers’ ePCK was observed to be different from their pPCK, but their ePCK was based on their pPCK. In this context, it was seen that the results of this research are consistent with RCM.

The relationship between teachers’ enacted pedagogical content knowledge and student learning in fundamental concepts of electrostatics

ABSTRACT Background It is commonly understood that teachers’ effectiveness is reflected by the performances of their students. On the other hand, teachers’ effectiveness is commonly associated with pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Purpose This paper reports a mixed method study exploring the relationship between teachers’ PCK and evidence of student learning in fundamental concepts of electrostatics. Sample Two in-service and two pre-service teachers as well as 133 students participated in the present study. Design and methods Data reflecting teachers’ PCK was collected using classroom observations and interviews whereas evidence of student learning was explored using a performance test designed for this research. The PCK and the evidence of student learning were studied in terms of the concepts of electrostatic force, electric field, and electric field strength. The refined consensus model of PCK served as the conceptual framework for the study while the components of the topic-specific PCK model served as the analytical framework. Guided by the components, we developed a rubric to score teachers’ PCK on a four-point scale, separately for each concept. Students’ performance was also separately averaged for each concept. Quantitatively, correlation coefficients were calculated for each concept. Qualitatively, in-depth analysis of students’ test responses in the fundamental concepts was conducted in relation to teachers’ engagements with the corresponding concepts. Results The results revealed moderate correlations in terms of the concepts of electrostatic force and electric field strength whereas the correlation was weak in terms of the electric field. Furthermore, we found that the test responses of students often matched the way they were taught by their teachers, supporting the quantitative results. Conclusion Teachers’ PCK and student learning showed weak and moderate correlations that were positive and significant, suggesting that there are other factors beyond PCK that influence student learning.

Competencies of Chemistry Teachers and Prospective Teachers: A Literature Review

The role and function of teachers as professionals is to implement the national education system and realize national education goals, which is to develop the potential of students. Therefore, the competence and professional development of teachers must be in line with the way they carry out learning, especially in chemistry subjects. Where this subject is one of the subjects that most students are less interested in. The focus of this research is to collect information about the outcome of research that discusses the competence of chemistry teachers and prospective teachers, the research design uses a literature review with a qualitative descriptive approach. Reviewed 3 selected journals registered in Science and Technology Index (SINTA), and 17 SCOPUS indexed international journals. The collection of articles starts from 2016 to 2023. The most frequently used research type is qualitative with a case study research type, the most frequently used data collection instrument is observation with triangulation techniques. Chemistry teacher competencies needed at this time are PCK, CK, AK, PCK_CCC, TPASK, topic-specific PCK (TSPCK), argumentation, laboratory skill competence, technological knowledge, professional competence, and competence in organizing lesson study

Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge-Based Instruction and Level of Conceptual Understanding of Chemical Kinetics and Equilibrium concepts on Grade 11 Students

The goal of this study was to assess students’ level of conceptual understanding of chemical kinetics and equilibrium using topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK)-based instruction in chemistry grade 11 students. The research was a mixed approach that involved 159 grade 11 chemistry class students from Addis Ababa administrative city, Ethiopia, and employed a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Purposive sampling was used for the sample procedure and four intact classes were selected as three intervention groups and one control group: curricular saliency-based, representation-based, conceptual teaching strategy-based instruction, and comparison groups. The level of conceptual understanding was assessed using reasoned questions, specifically a two-tiered multiple-choice pretest, and posttest. The findings revealed that students’ conceptual understanding of chemical kinetics was higher than that of chemical equilibrium concepts. According to the findings of the students’ pretest and posttest, the level of conceptual understanding increased from 27.08% to 32.21% in chemical kinetics and from 15.91% to 23.68% in chemical equilibrium. Overall, representation-based instruction and conceptual teaching tactics boosted students’ conceptual knowledge and accomplishment in chemical kinetics and equilibrium concepts. This study proposes that the level of conceptual understanding of grade 11 students in chemical kinetics should take into account the horizontal relationship between mathematics and the chemical kinetics concepts, which should be taught using technology-assisted teaching strategies such as conceptual teaching strategies and three-fold mental representations.

Professed vis-à-vis Enacted Knowledge: Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge of University Mathematics Teachers

This study aimed to determine and observe the topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge of university mathematics teachers before and during limit and continuity concept instruction, and compare the teachers’ perceptions of their teaching to what happened in their classrooms using the case study method. The study involved five university mathematics teachers who teach ‘Applied Mathematics I’ to pre-engineering students at Assosa University, Ethiopia. Classroom observation sessions and pre-lesson teacher interviews were used as data sources. The data were analyzed by identifying common themes in each of the knowledge components prior to and during the lesson, and then by comparing the two phases. The findings from the teacher cases provided detailed contextual information and revealed knowledge manifestations in their lesson design and actual teaching processes. The study’s findings revealed that teachers had a good understanding of topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge components prior to the lesson, but did not demonstrate most of these in their actual teaching of limit and continuity; their reported and enacted knowledge differed. According to this study, individual teachers varied in their implementation of what they had mentioned about various components of topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge. The study proposes that understanding teachers’ knowledge during the lesson design phase and actual teaching could help fill the gap as a means of professional development, and thereby, improve pre-engineering students’ mathematics learning.

Life Sciences Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge When Addressing Socioscientific Issues in The Topic Evolution

The South African life sciences curriculum envisages a teacher who negotiates through controversial issues in the topic of evolution and helps learners reconcile the content and their religious or cultural aspects. Previous studies have found that teachers are conflicted to teach evolution concepts due to socioscientific issues (SSIs) emanating from sociocultural and religious beliefs and those of their learners. Consequently, the current paper reports a study that sought to establish life sciences teachers’ topic specific pedagogical content knowledge when teaching some concepts in the topic evolution. This is against the backdrop that teachers are conflicted about teaching the theory of evolution. In a qualitative study, an open-ended questionnaire designed to assess science teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Biological socioscientific issues (PCK-BSSIs) was administered to selected 28 life sciences teachers who had taught the topic evolution for some time. The findings showed that the teaching of SSIs in evolution through debates, argumentation, and discussions, provides a platform for learner critical thinking, problem-solving and the ability to make informed decisions. Some teachers failed to realise the need for inclusion of evolution in the curriculum considering its invasive and challenging nature with regards to sociocultural and religious beliefs. Teachers therefore used textbook knowledge without engaging learners. Based on these findings, the researchers recommend that teachers be equipped with not only the pedagogical skills to address controversial issues but should also be developed in the subject matter knowledge.

Exploring the Development of the Quality of Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Planning: the Case of Grade 8 Natural Sciences Teachers

The intervention programmes have a direct influence on teachers’ knowledge of teaching different topics. This paper focuses on how Grade 8 natural science teachers’ knowledge developed during an intervention programme. Eight schools were selected to participate, and 25 Grade 8 Natural Sciences teachers from Gauteng province participated. Data were collected during the intervention sessions, and participants completed a written TSPCK test and content representation tool. Quantitative data were analysed using the Rasch analysis model, and qualitative data were analysed using content analysis of TSPCK episodes using the TSPCK rubric. The episode was a response segment, where TSPCK components were used to transform the topic content. The findings showed that teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge improved significantly in different components of TSPCK. The teachers’ PCK development was revealed through extensive use of knowledge of representation including demonstrations using diagrams aimed at transforming the concept in planning. Besides, during the intervention, teachers were able to collaborate, have explicit discussions on specific topics, and provide explanations on the use of the five TSPCK components. The study implies that the development of PCK in fundamental topics in a discipline can be implemented through a TSPCK-based intervention.

Introduction to Light Properties and Basic Principles of Spectroscopy at the High-School Level: A Pilot Study

Spectroscopy is the basis of many applications in chemistry; however, the basic principles of light, light–matter interaction, and the operation of spectrophotometers are rarely present in chemistry curricula at the high-school level, or they are only briefly introduced to students before focusing on analytical chemistry applications. In this work, we report the results of a study conducted over several years, aimed to design, optimise, and put into practice a didactic sequence on light phenomena such as reflection, refraction, interference, diffraction, and light dispersion, as well as the basic principles of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and spectroscopic instruments. Difficult concepts of light phenomena and related topics were deeply investigated, focusing on the best ways to teach them to high-school students in the framework of the content-specific components identified in the topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge theoretical model. Inquiry-based learning and interactive STEM laboratory activities were combined with a historical epistemological teaching method. Short introductory videos were also recorded to help students during the remote lessons in the COVID-19 pandemic period. In this paper, we report and discuss the research strategy used in order to design and implement the sequence of educational activities, leading to a final optimised didactic sequence that was tested in a pilot study. The main results were obtained from the experimentation with several classes in two high-school technical institutes with a chemistry and material sciences curriculum, along with a group of undergraduate students during the first part of an introductory course on molecular spectroscopy.

Investigating the Quality of Enacted Pedagogical Content Knowledge by Mapping Out Component Interactions: A Case Study of a Teacher Educator Teaching Basic Genetics

ABSTRACT The teaching of genetics has not been effective in promoting a scientifically acceptable understanding of basic genetics concepts. This study addresses that gap by reporting on topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) enacted by a teacher educator as she teaches a content course on basic genetics concepts to fourth-year pre-service teachers. A qualitative case study was conducted to investigate the nature of manifested content specific component interactions and the possible value in enhancing the learning of basic genetics concepts. This study is rooted in the refined consensus model of PCK with a focus on the enacted PCK (ePCK). The PCK framework informed the understanding of the ePCK components in this study as well as the design of an ePCK rubric and other qualitative analysis enablers. They were used in this study to analyze the data captured through written Content Representations (CoRes), video-recorded lectures, and interviews over a 3-year period. The findings indicate that the ePCK manifested in planning and teaching was reasoned pedagogically and of high quality and more so, perceived to enhance students’ learning. By year three, revealed ePCK consisted mostly of proficient and sophisticated ePCK with coherent component interactions that are indicative of enriched explanations and learning tasks such as the sequencing of the concepts, well-thought-out instructional representations, and learner prior knowledge. Therefore, the generated insights are strong evidence about the kind of teaching that can significantly address misconceptions and what makes genetics concepts difficult to learn- a knowledge that should be significant to others in the field.

IMPROVING SECONDARY SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHERS’ TOPIC-SPECIFIC PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE: EVIDENCE FROM LESSON STUDIES

Since pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) influences the teaching-learning process, it has dominated research on teacher effectiveness. This case study explored teachers’ enacted topic-specific PCK (TSPCK) during the biology lesson study stages: planning, teaching, and reflecting. The enacted TSPCK in two video-recorded research lessons was analysed qualitatively. The results showed that the teacher enacted both high-order and low-order pedagogical actions in the enactment of the TSPCK on eight themes, namely: teaching strategies, classroom interactions, representations, curricular saliency, conceptual teaching strategies, students’ prior knowledge and misconceptions, and what makes teaching or learning difficult. The results also show that the teachers’ collective planned TSPCK was more developed than their personal TSPCK, indicating that participation in the lesson study improved the teachers’ TSPCK. The study is important as it shows how teachers enact their personal and collective TSPCK in respiration. It also demonstrates the potential of lesson study to improve teachers’ PCK through collaborative planning and reflection on taught lessons. The study recommends using lesson study to improve teachers’ enacted TSPCK in respiration, and biology as a whole. Keywords: enacted pedagogical content knowledge (ePCK), topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK), respiration, secondary school, lesson study

A South African beginner natural sciences teacher’s articulated PCK-in-practice with respect to electric circuits: A case study

Literature shows that science teachers’ development and practice of PCK have always been a concern in science education research. Globally, national policies have begun to underscore the instruction of science teachers as a great concern. This study is considered worthwhile, as it intended to address this gap by exploring a beginner teacher’s PCK knowledge and articulated PCK-in-practice. One participant was purposefully sampled. An exploratory qualitative case study was conducted, and the beginner natural sciences teacher’s PCK of teaching grade 9 electric circuits was explored and analysed through an in-depth enquiry. First, the participant was interviewed, then classroom observations were conducted. The observations were video recorded while the topic in question was being taught. The PCK classroom observations schedule was adopted from Barendsen and Henze (2019). A post-classroom observation interview was conducted. Saldaña’s (2009) model and Pitjeng’s (2014) topic specific PCK rubric were adopted as analytical tools. The findings of this study show that the participant ignored students’ contributions and debates because the lessons were teacher centred. The participant highlighted difficulties linking theoretical classroom science concepts with learners’ real-life experiences. This study is important, as it shows the interconnections of PCK knowledges and how they play a significant role in a teacher’s articulated PCK-in-practice with respect to electric circuits.

In-Service and Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Enacted Pedagogical Content Knowledge about the Particulate Nature of Matter

The particulate nature of matter is a fundamental concept in science that students in lower grades find difficult to understand. Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has been identified as germane for addressing difficult topics and it enhances effective learning. The purpose of this study was to capture the quality of the enacted PCK that practising and pre-service teachers activate during planning. Data were collected through a validated PCK questionnaire which was completed by both practising and pre-service teachers. A rubric was used to code their responses. A Rasch analysis model was used to analyse the five components of the topic-specific PCK construct. Data from an item analysis show that pre-service teachers found the test items to be less difficult than did the practising teachers. We found that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups of teachers in terms of knowledge activated during planning. These findings show that, in transforming the topic content and concepts of the particulate nature of matter, the pre-service teachers integrated more components of enacted PCK compared to practising teachers. Discussions around the curriculum for both groups of teachers might provide insight into the design of future teacher development programmes.

Changes in Pre-service Teachers’ Planned TSPCK in Stoichiometry After a TSPCK-based Practicum

Topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK) enables teachers to transform pedagogically difficult content for specific science topics into forms more easily understood by learners. In science teaching, there is evidence pointing to poor learner performance in key chemistry topics such as stoichiometry. This paper reports on the changes in pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) planned TSPCK in stoichiometry. This follows after the practicum that explicitly targeted the development of planned TSPCK for stoichiometry in the methodology class for physical sciences. The study followed a mixed-methods research design and case study as a research strategy. The participants were 10 PSTs in their final year of study for a Bachelor of Education. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected as a set of tests on TSPCK, applied both pre- and post-practicum, using TSPCK tools developed and validated in an earlier study. In both cases, data were analysed using the Rasch method. The distribution of both person and item measures was valid for measuring PSTs’ planned TSPCK. In each test, they fell within the conventional fit statistical range of −2 to +2. All of the reliability indices had values ≥ 0.6 and hence were considered to be acceptable. The findings in this study indicated a measured improvement in the quality of TSPCK among the PSTs. In addition, PSTs experienced TSPCK components used in planning to teach stoichiometry at different levels of difficulty. This paper recommends further research exploring how such practicum programmes facilitate changes in PSTs’ planned TSPCK and what agencies contribute to these changes in planned TSPCK.

Investigating opportunities for integrating methodology when teaching a life science topic (meiosis) to fourth-year pre-service teachers: A case study

Pre-service teachers (PSTs) are expected to effectively integrate their content knowledge with their knowledge of teaching when teaching classes after qualification. This integration can, however, be challenging for PSTs because the two components are often taught separately at teacher education institutions. This qualitative case study investigated the possibilities of integrating the teaching of the two components at a South African university educating future science teachers. Data in the form of video-recorded lectures, video-stimulated recall interviews with a teacher educator, and focus group interviews with 15 PSTs were collected. Data analysis was mainly deductive informed by the topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge conceptual framework. Many opportunities for integrating methodology were created by the teacher educator while teaching meiosis content. The study concludes that integrating methodology when teaching content courses is possible. However, the integration should include explicit discussion of the pedagogical reasoning behind the visible teaching routines.

Interactions among Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge Components for Science Teachers: The Impact of Content Knowledge

ABSTRACT This study investigated in what ways and to what extent the interactions between the components of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) differ for junior high school science teachers with different levels of content knowledge. Data were collected from three science teachers through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The participants’ content knowledge was analyzed based on inductive coding and the teachers were labeled as curriculum-led, content-expert, and content-novice. Interactions among PCK components were analyzed by making an in-depth analysis of explicit PCK. This included constructing PCK maps for each participant. Then, the constant comparative method was used to clarify differences in interactions among PCK components. Five assertions were proposed based on the differences among PCK interactions: (a) the curriculum-led teacher had the most integrated PCK map and the interactions were mainly reciprocal; (b) the most frequent interactions between knowledge of assessment and the other PCK components were observed in the content-expert teacher; (c) the most frequent interactions between knowledge of curriculum and the other PCK components were observed in the curriculum-led teacher’s teaching; (d) the content-novice teacher’s orientation interacted with the other PCK components more than in the other two participants’ teaching; (e) the main ideas of the interactions among PCK components changed depending on the teachers’ content knowledge. The findings are discussed and suggestions for researchers and teachers are provided.

Teachers’ diagnostic judgments on tasks as information processing – The role of pedagogical content knowledge for task diagnosis

When assessing task difficulty, teachers perceive, interpret, and integrate information about relevant features of the task by applying their topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). These assumptions on the processes underlying diagnostic judgements on tasks have rarely been modeled and investigated systematically. In an experimental study, we assume two processes (identifying relevant task features and integrating information on multiple features) and predict the influence of PCK and available time on the accuracy of task judgments of 212 student teachers. The results support that PCK is required for both processes and that time pressure only affects the complex process of integrating information.