Examining the Observable Indicators of Science Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Through Video Study

• In Event: 41.080 - What Does a Spectrum of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Applications Look Like?

Abstract

Researchers and teacher educators have embraced TPACK framework with excitement (Graham, 2011), yet, there has been limited research on the empirical examination of the indicators of effective teaching with technology with respect to teacher behaviour observed in classrooms. The competencies for teachers’ TPACK were mainly developed by the researchers with literature analysis or expert consultation in Delphi studies, lacking an empirical analysis of actual classroom situations. To date, TPACK measures have been largely based on questionnaires in which teachers report on what happens in their own classrooms or what they know about effective technology integration. Little is known about observed behavioural indicators of teachers’ TPACK in classrooms.
There has been no study attempted to investigate TPACK indicators using the video study method, thus this research will move research forward by presenting a novel method for studying TPACK in action.

Video study methods have been employed in teacher education both to examine and improve teaching practice (Seidel & Stürmer, 2014). Methods were developed to define indicators for teaching behaviour related to professional aspects of teaching such as generic pedagogical (PK) and pedagogical content (PCK) aspects, to videotape classroom interactions, to analyse teaching patterns regarding those aspects of teaching as well as to link it to student learning (Alonzo, Kobarg, & Seidel, 2012; Jurik, Gröschner, & Seidel, 2013). While video studies provided valuable methods for examining teaching practice, limited research used video study method to observe teachers’ TPACK in classrooms (e.g., Murcia, 2014; Tondeur et al., 2013). Our video study examined two research questions: (1) What are the indicators of science teachers’ TPACK in the design of technology-enhanced classrooms? (2) What are the indicators of TPACK in teachers’ actual teaching in science classrooms?

The study was conducted with in-service science teachers who taught at a smart campus of a private school that offered tablet based smart education in primary and secondary levels. Data sources included video recorded classroom teaching and pre and post-video interviews with the teachers. The qualitative analysis of four teacher cases revealed observed indicators of teachers’ TPACK in their lesson design and actual teaching processes. Design indicators included: Technology selection, curriculum planning, lesson preparation, and assessment. Actual teaching indicators were categorized under lesson entry behaviors, teaching methods and strategies, technology enhanced classroom management, troubleshooting, and assessment.

Classroom observations allow behavioural categories to be defined objectively by the researcher, not independently by each respondent. They also enable researchers to study the implementation of instruction as well as the planned aspects. Teachers themselves may be unaware of their behaviour in the classroom, yet this same behaviour could be easily accessible to the outside observer. Bearing in mind the limitations of questionnaires and of live observational coding schemes, our research presented video study as a method for examining evidences of TPACK in teachers’ actual teaching practices in video recorded classrooms. The research aimed to uncover the situated nature of teaching with technology with a more authentic approach towards the documentation and analysis of teachers’ ICT integration behaviour.

Authors

• Evrim Baran, Middle East Technical University

• Ceren Ocak, Middle East Technical University