9 research outputs found
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GRADE 11 PALESTINIAN ATTITUDES TOWARD BIOLOGY AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE BIOLOGY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Changes in Preservice Teacher Attitudes Toward Astronomy Within a Semester-Long Astronomy Instruction and Four-Year-Long Teacher Training Programme
Reconceptualising PCK research in D&T education: proposing a methodological framework to investigate enacted practice
Since first conceived, the concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has
attracted much attention. Despite being lauded by educationalists as the unique knowledge
base of teachers, research on the concept over the past 30 years has yet to result in a universally
accepted definition being presented. Much of the contentions surrounding the lack of
an agreed upon conception appear to have stemmed from difficulties in understanding the
relationship between PCK, other areas of teacher knowledge, teacher beliefs, and enacted
practice. This paper considers the application of PCK frameworks to design and technology
(D&T) education, through an analysis of the nature of the discipline from an ontological
and epistemological perspective and contemporary perspectives on the construct of PCK.
It is theorised that the volition afforded to teachers in D&T through weakly framed subject
boundaries negates the effective application of PCK frameworks, as teachersâ beliefs have a
greater impact on enacted practices. In an attempt to better understanding enacted practice
in D&T education, the paper proposes a methodological framework centred on the interactions
between teachersâ beliefs and knowledge in the discipline, through synthesising the
concept of amplifiers and filters of practice with the nature of D&T education. The proposed
framework outlines the need to recognise individual teachersâ conception of capability
as a critical influence on enacted practice