First-year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits in relation to school and personal background

This paper reports a quantitative study about university students’ conceptual understanding of simple DC-circuits when entering firstyear physics at a South African university. The aim was to investigate how conceptual understanding relates to the students’ personal and school background. The conceptual framework was based on an existing model of the effectiveness of science education. Data were collected from 815 participants at a South African university. The conceptual understanding of DC circuits was measured in terms of performance in the well-known Determining and Interpreting Resistive Electric Circuits Concepts Test (DIRECT). Background information at school, classroom, and personal level was obtained with a questionnaire. Using Rash analysis, it was found that the students’ conceptual understanding relates significantly to the type of school attended, home language, previous achievement, their attitudes towards physics, and gender. However, contrary to expectations, the students’ conceptual understanding did not show a relationship with their exposure to practical work at school

Teaching electromagnetism for the first time : a case study of pre-service science teachers’ enacted pedagogical content knowledge

This paper reports on topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) enacted by three pre-service science teachers during their final year school-based internship. An interpretive, qualitative case study was conducted to investigate to what extent the pre-service teachers applied the knowledge taught during a preceding physical science method course, when teaching electromagnetism for the first time. The study is rooted in the revised consensus model of PCK with focus on the enacted PCK (ePCK) of pre-service teachers. Five topic-specific PCK components informed the design of an ePCK rubric used to assess the extent to which the pre-service teachers’ PCK manifested in their practice. Data were captured by written content representations (CoRes), lesson observations and interviews. The rubric, together with further qualitative analysis, was used to determine how the pre-service teachers translated the knowledge taught during training into practice. Findings indicate that the participating pre-service teachers enacted certain components of the taught PCK and reasoned pedagogically about their teaching, though not at the same level for all main ideas in the topic. After teaching the topic, the pre-service teachers indicated that they would like to improve their sequencing of key concepts. It was concluded that the teaching experience contributed to a better understanding of conceptual teaching strategies. The findings of the study may inform PCK development in teacher education.https://link.springer.com/journal/11165hj2023Science, Mathematics and Technology Educatio

Exploring dynamic pedagogical content knowledge across fundamental concepts of electrostatics

DATA SHARING STATEMENT : Data supporting the findings and conclusions are available upon request from the corresponding author.This paper reports a case study that explored teachers’ dynamic pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) across three big ideas of electrostatics namely the electrostatic force, electric field, and electric field strength. Two pre-service and two in-service teachers participated in the study. The refined consensus model of PCK was adopted as the theoretical framework for the study. We studied PCK as enacted during classroom teaching using observations and interviews. Data was analyzed alongside a four-point scale grand PCK rubric used to score the competence of the teachers for every big idea. The results showed that PCK of the teachers varied across the big ideas, which is attributed to the nature of concepts, as well as teachers’ content knowledge in each. The findings imply that pre-service teacher education programs should involve focus on teaching specific concepts to support the development of holistic PCK for a topic.The National Research Foundation.https://www.ejmste.comam2024Science, Mathematics and Technology EducationSDG-04:Quality Educatio

Comparing pedagogical content knowledge across fundamental concepts of electrostatics : a case of three pre-service teachers

It has recently been suggested that pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has a concept-specific nature, beyond the topic-specific level of PCK. This paper reports a case study of three pre-service teachers’ reported PCK about three fundamental concepts within the topic of electrostatics, namely electrostatic force, electric field and electric field strength. The aim of the study was to compare the quality of the PCK of each of the individual participants across these fundamental concepts. Data was collected using a content representation tool and a lesson planning form prescribed by the participants’ teacher training institution. A topic-specific PCK model was adopted as the framework for this study. The model asserts that the content of a particular topic is transformed for instruction through five components, namely learners’ prior knowledge, curricular saliency, what is difficult to teach, representations including analogies and conceptual teaching strategies. Guided by the model, we designed a rubric to assess the concept-specific PCK of the participants on a four-point scale. The results of the study indicated that the PCK of the participants varied across the fundamental concepts of electrostatics, with each participant reporting better PCK for a different concept. The results of the study imply that describing PCK at concept level is appropriate and recommend that PCK should be strengthened at concept level during teacher training to ensure that it develops across all of the concepts within a topic.The National Research Foundation (NRF)http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rmse202021-06-25hj2021Science, Mathematics and Technology Educatio

A comparative study on knowledge and perceptions of radioactivity

Hierdie verkennende studie is gedoen om vas te stel hoe die kennis en persepsies oor radioaktiwiteit van drie groepe voorgraadse onderwysstudente vergelyk met dié van kundiges op die gebied. Die eerste groep verteenwoordig studente wat beskik oor feitelike kennis van radioaktiwiteit, omdat hulle daarin onderrig is. Die tweede groep verteenwoordig studente met ’n baie beperkte kennis van dié onderwerp en die laaste is ’n groep studente wat slegs terloops met die onderwerp kennis gemaak het en geen formele onderrig daarin ontvang het nie. Die laaste groep is vergelykbaar met die grootste deel van die algemene publiek. Omdat die deelnemers aan die studie vrae moes beantwoord wat hulle besluite laat neem en redes gee, gebaseer op hulle kennis van die onderwerp, is die antwoorde van kundiges gebruik om die deelnemers se antwoorde teen te meet. ’n Nieekwivalente ex post facto-groepontwerp is gebruik. Die hipotese dat feitelike inligting die publiek se mening oor sekere aspekte van radioaktiwiteit vorm, is ondersoek. Kwantitatiewe data wat deur geslote vrae in ’n Lickertskaal-vraelys versamel is, is geanaliseer en het statisties beduidende verskille tusssen die kennisbasis van die respondentgroepe getoon. Die kwalitatiewe data van die studie is verkry deur gemotiveerde antwoorde in die Lickertskaal-vraelys. Hieruit is dit duidelik dat die opinies van studente wat meer feitlike blootstelling aan radioaktiwiteit gehad het, die beste vergelyk met dié van kundiges in gevalle waar die persepsies ’n direkte uitvloeisel is van die vlak van kennis wat ’n persoon oor die onderwerp het. Waar situasies ingesluit is wat verband hou met gesondheid en die omgewing, veiligheid en risiko, is die persepsies egter baie uiteenlopend en kan daar nie uitspraak gelewer word oor die invloed van kennis op persepsies nie.This explanatory study was done to get an understanding of how three groups of preservice teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of radiation compare to that of experts. The first group consists of students with factual radiation knowledge, due to their training. The second group is students with limited knowledge and the third group students with no official training in this area. The last group represented ordinary citizens. Experts were used as ‘yard stick’ as the participants had to answer questions where decisions and reasons had to be presented based on their knowledge. A non-equivalent ex post facto group design was used. The hypothesis that factual information shapes citizens’ decisions on certain aspects of radiation was investigated. The quantitative data collected via closed-ended questions in a Lickert questionnaire, was analysed and statistically significant differences were indicated. The qualitative data was collected as openended responses to the Lickert questionnaire. As expected the students with more factual knowledge compared most favourable with that of the experts where perceptions are directly related to formal education. However, this premise of knowledge was not found with regard to perceptions of health, environment, safety and risk due to a diversity of applications.http://www.satnt.ac.zaam201

Discipline in Lesotho schools: educator strategies

This article reports from an exploratory, quantitative and critical frame of reference on a study on educator strategies to maintain discipline in Lesotho schools. The data, based on a questionnaire completed by Lesotho educators, were analysed by means of frequencies and the student’s t-test. The most popular strategy employed by the respondents as a means of maintaining discipline is to come properly prepared to school, followed by positive discipline. Strategies least used by the respondents are detention and community service. The data reveal that the majority of the respondents use a combination of traditional and progressive strategies. The data also show that the perceived effectiveness of a strategy does not always correspond with its popularity

Teaching measurement: The role of mathematics teachers' enacted PCK on gain in learner outcomes

Teaching is a challenging profession where teachers must create valuable learning opportunities to enhance learners’ conceptual understanding. Apart from mathematical content knowledge, teachers use their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) that develops as they reflect on previously taught lessons and learner responses in assessments. International and national assessment studies showed that South African learners perform poorly in, among other topics, Measurement. Thus, we determined the gain in learner outcomes as revealed in a pre-and post-test on Measurement and studied one of the PCK domains, namely teachers’ enacted PCK as informed by the baseline assessment learner outcomes. The aim was to determine how teachers’ enacted PCK relate to learner outcomes. Underpinned by a social constructivist paradigm, the study used a mixed-method research approach. Data were gathered from a pre-and post-test written by 124 Grade 9 learners taught by two experienced mathematics teachers in a city school in South Africa. Findings revealed that although some improvements are evident after the topic has been taught, the test was still experienced as difficult by almost all the learners. However, from the observations, there is little evidence that the experienced teachers extensively used the baseline assessment outcomes to inform their teaching

Teaching measurement : the role of mathematics teachers’ enacted pick on learner outcomes

Teaching is a challenging profession where teachers must create valuable learning opportunities to enhance learners’ conceptual understanding. Apart from mathematical content knowledge, teachers use their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) that develops as they reflect on previously taught lessons and learner responses in assessments. International and national assessment studies showed that South African learners perform poorly in, among other topics, Measurement. Thus, we determined the gain in learner outcomes as revealed in a pre-and post-test on Measurement and studied one of the PCK domains, namely teachers’ enacted PCK as informed by the baseline assessment learner outcomes. The aim was to determine how teachers’ enacted PCK relate to learner outcomes. Underpinned by a social constructivist paradigm, the study used a mixed-method research approach. Data were gathered from a pre-and post-test written by 124 Grade 9 learners taught by two experienced mathematics teachers in a city school in South Africa. Findings revealed that although some improvements are evident after the topic has been taught, the test was still experienced as difficult by almost all the learners. However, from the observations, there is little evidence that the experienced teachers extensively used the baseline assessment outcomes to inform their teaching.http://e-journal.stkipsiliwangi.ac.id/index.php/infinityScience, Mathematics and Technology EducationSDG-04:Quality Educatio

Development of science teachers’ PCK about waves through training in the use of the ripple tank apparatus

This study investigated the effect of in-service training in the use of the ripple tank equipment on science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) about the topic of waves. Three Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers participated in this qualitative case study. The Refined Consensus Model informed the conceptual framework of this study, considering PCK at a topic level within each of the three realms of PCK. The training exposed teachers to the collective realm of PCK with the intention of developing their personal PCK about the topic. Teachers’ personal PCK was explored by means of written Content Representations before as well as after the training. After the training, teachers’ enacted PCK was observed and video-recorded while teaching the topic of waves to their learners. Pedagogical reasoning was elicited through video stimulated recall interviews. The post-training interviews also provided insight into participants’ general views about the in-service training. The results show that the participants’ personal PCK improved and that some of the content and skills taught during in-service training were utilized in the enacted PCK of two of the participants, particularly regarding conceptual teaching strategies. Least improvement occurred for the component of teachers’ knowledge of learners’ understanding. We found evidence that teachers’ beliefs influence their pedagogical reasoning, acting as amplifiers and filters to translate newly acquired personal PCK into enacted PCK: teachers who prioritise hands-on experiences and teaching for understanding as opposed to rote learning are more receptive to training in the use of apparatus. The study therefore shows that training in the use of the ripple tank equipment improved in unique ways each of the teachers’ PCK about waves.The National Research Foundation and the University of Pretoria.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rmse202022-03-17hj2021Science, Mathematics and Technology Educatio

A comparison between reported and enacted pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) about graphs of motion

This paper reports a case study of four grade 10 physical sciences teachers’ PCK about graphs of motion. We used three data collection strategies, namely teachers’ written accounts, captured by the content representation (CoRe) tool, interviews and classroom observations. We conceptualised the PCK displayed in the CoRe tool and the interviews as reported PCK and the PCK demonstrated during teaching as enacted PCK. These two manifestations of PCK were compared to establish the extent of agreement between reported and enacted PCK. We adopted the topic-specific PCK (TSPCK) model as the framework that guided this study. This model describes TSPCK in terms of five components of teacher knowledge. Guided by the model, we designed two rubrics to assess these manifestations of TSPCK on a four-point scale. The results of this study indicated that the reported PCK was not necessarily a reflection of the PCK enacted during teaching. The levels of PCK in the components were seldom higher in the enacted PCK, but tended to be similar or lower than in the reported PCK. The study implies that the enactment of PCK should be emphasised in teacher education.https://link.springer.com/journal/111652019-04-14hj2018Science, Mathematics and Technology Educatio