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

Abstract

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.