TPACK, Journal Summary 15

An Examination of the Techno-Pedagogical Education Competencies (TPACK) of Pre-Service Elementary School and Pre-School Teachers

Muhammet Ӧzdemir

Along with development of technology in educational scope, it is important for the teachers’ to enrich their competencies in technology. Even though the school providing classes with technology materials, doesn’t mean that it will increase the quality of teaching and learning process (Kabakci-Yurdakul, Odabasi, Kilices, Coklar, Birinci and Kurt, 2014). Technological model aimed to have teachers to acquire knowledge and skill of using the technology, while pedagogical models are models that aim to have teachers to associate their technological knowledge with their pedagogical knowledge when teaching one of the pedagogical models related to the integration of technology into education is the TAPCK model (Kobaksi & Yurdakul, 2011). Teachers using technology effectively will facilitate raising technologically literate individuals.  According to studies conducted on TPACK with teachers and pre-service teachers, TPACK is important for education of teachers and their professional development (Koehler & Mishra, 2005). The teachers as pre-service teachers are expected to have technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK). Therefore, the determination of pre-service teachers’ perceptions about their TPACK is very important (Yavuz-Konokman et al, 2013). TPACK is a development from Shulman’s idea PCK which added technology by Mishra and Koehler. The aim of this study was to determined whether the TPACK competence levels of the pre-service elementary and preschool teachers show any difference by year of study and departments.

To collect the data, the author using the survey model, because the major aim was to determine 995 in total of pre-service teachers’ TPACK in the departments of primary school elementary school teaching and preschool teaching in the third and fourth year of study at three different universities. To select the sample, simple random sampling was selected. Based on the data, can be concluded that pre-service teachers‘ education had different levels of competence between senior (fourth year students) and  junior (third year students) of pre-service elementary school and preschool teachers, it can be stated that the difference resulted from technology and material development courses taken. But they had positive effects on their TPACK. Along with education, pre-service elementary school and preschool teachers should be provided with opportunities to use technology and it should be supported with practice in teaching practicum courses and should be inserted in practice evaluation forms as criterion.

TPACK, Journal Summary 14

Surveying Chinese In-Service K12 Teachers Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge

Qingtang Liu, Si Zhang & Qiyun Wang

This study was purposed to investigate in-service K12 teachers’ perception of TPACK in detailed with Chinese in-service K12 teachers’ gender, and years of service. Adopting survey instrument which was constructed from Koh, Chai, and Tsai’s (2014) survey, containing 2,728 in-services teachers in total for 4 month duration, the teachers came from 6 districts in three provinces in China. Based on the analysis, it can be seen that most of in-service teachers tender to have strongest sense in general teaching method (PK) and subject matter (CK), but have weaker sense in terms of TK and TPK-TCK-TPACK. Meanwhile, in teachers’ gender and years of service can be concluded that the male teachers have higher score in CK variable but have lower score for PCK variable than female teachers. In addition, based on teaching experience revealed that the young teachers tended to perceived better in capacities of applying technology (TK) but have worse ability in PK and Ck.

TPACK, Journal Summary 13

A Survey of Native Language Teachers-Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) In Taiwan

Kun-Hung Cheng

The study was aimed to investigate native language teachers’ perceived TPACK. To gather the data, the author adapted the TPACK survey which was developed by previous studies targeting pre-service teachers (Kohi et al, 2013; Sohin, 2011) and in-service teachers (Lin et al, 2013). The survey included 172 in-service Hakka Language (one of main native languages in Taiwan) teachers from different region with different gender, age, and teaching experience in Taiwan. The survey containing seven TPACK constructs: TK, PK, CK, TCK, TPK, PCK and TPACK where every item was rated on seven point Likert scale. Based on the data, can be seen that the older teachers have higher PCK self-efficacy but lower TK self-efficacy (e.g Hsu et al, 2017; Kazu & Erten, 2014). The correlation between teachers’ age and their perceived was not significant. Older ale teachers tended to be more confident in CK, while older female teachers tended to have less confident in TK. Even the age did not have significant in TPACK perceived, but teaching experience did.

TPACK, Journal Summary 12

Pre-service Teachers’ TPACK Development and Conception Through TPACK-Based Course

Levent Durdu, Funda Dag

Kocaeli University, Turkey

Teachers take a major role in the successful integration of technology into learning environments. However, pre-service teachers (PSTs) and also inexperienced in-service teachers (ISTs) who are in the first years of their teaching profession use interaction technologies in their classrooms in a very narrow manner and have limited knowledge about technology integration and utilization (Dawson, 2008; Ertmer, 2005; Ottenbreit-leftwich et al, 2010; Vanderlinde, Van Break & Tondeur, 2010). Therefore, it is a common recommendation that teachers should be trained especially during pre-service education about the integration of technology in teaching and learning. While ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) was publish standards for teacher competences. One of these standards is facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, which requires the teachers to “Use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance students’ learning…” (ISTE, 2007, P.I). Ndongfact (2015) in his articlr stated that there is one approach that help the teachers to acquire their skills in adopting technologies effectively into classroom by working through different ways of professional development to blend technology, content, and pedagogy, also known as TPACK.

TPACK is a framework which developed by Mishra and Koehler, there are three primary forms of this framework knowledge, Content (C ), Pedagogy (P), and Technology (T). The intersection of these forms are Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), and technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK). To find out the result of the study, the author adapted parallel mixed method approach with conducting 71 pre-service teachers taking the course. The instrument was using semi-structured TPACK survey. The qualitative data was gotten from interview and evaluation of the microteaching performance and analysis lesson plans. Based on the data, can be concluded that there were significant differences before and after the course implementation concerning TPACK in general. Qualitative findings support and overlap the statistical inferences.

TPACK, Journal Summary 11

Assessing Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Through Observations and Lesson Plans

Sadef Canbazoglei , S. Selcen Guzey & Havva Yumak

Along to development of technology, more and more teachers have integrated technology into their teaching. Recent studies have shown that teachers need to have a good understanding of how technology can be coordinated with pedagogy and content knowledge in order to apply technology effectively and efficiently into classroom instruction (Hughes, 2005; Margerum-Leys and Marx 2000; Niess, 2005; Zhao, 2003). To understand teachers’ knowledge about educational technology and the use of these tools in the classroom instruction, Mishra and Koehler developed Shulman’s framework (1986) pedagogical content knowledge by adding technology, so it became Technological, Pedagogical, Content Knowledge (TPACK) TPACK framework is an integration of Technological Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) and Content Knowledge (CK). TPACK is able to help the teachers in using technology effectively in their teaching. To investigate teachers’ development of TPACK, several researchers organized TPACK-based courses for pre-service science teachers of professional development programs for in-service science teachers and they investigated teachers’ development of TPACK (e.g Chai, Koh and Tsai, 2010; Graham et al, 2009; harif and Hofer, 2011; Jaipal and Figg, 2010 and etc). In this study, a science method course was designed using transformative TPACK model and pre-service teachers’ development of TPACK was studied over the course through observation and lesson plan data. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the pre-service science teachers TPACK at the end of semester-long course.

The case study methodology was used in this study, because it was possible to obtain in-depth knowledge of subject matter of the study and examine the problems in every aspects (Meriam, 1998) and multiple case study were applied to 27 pre-service science teachers’ TPACK. Each participant’s TPACK was examined first, then the analysis units were compared to each other.The results showed that the TPACK-focused ScienceMethods course had an impact on pre-service teachers’ TPACK to varying degrees. Most importantly, the course helped teachers gain knowledge of effective usage of educational technology tools. Conclusion, teacher education programs should provide opportunities to pre-service teachers to develop their TPACK so that they can effectively integrate technology into their teaching.

TPACK, Journal Summary 10

Blended Learning Approach to Develop the Teachers’ TPACK

Arwa Ahmad Abdo Qasem

In his study entitled Blended Learning Approach to Develop the Teachers’ TPACK, Qasem stated that in lining to improvement in technology, the learning environment, content and integrating ICT into classroom teaching and learning has gradually changed as well and it is challenging for the teachers (Shafer, 2008; So & Kim, 2009). Along with digital technologies, technical competencies have also appeared. It is absolutely need knowledge and skill in order to using technologies which will provide comprehensive learning. Educational research studies show that program of professional development for teachers are most effective when directed towards the development of ICT (UNESCO,2002). But, developer community of online professional education face the significant challenges in organizing and maintaining the participants of virtual community which develop the sense of belonging, trust, and support which are prerequisites to learning in a community (Charalambror et al, 2004). To resolve the challenge, utilize blended approach to professional development is believed as the right solution. Recently, blended learning has attracted considerable attention in teaching training program. Blended learning it self means a combination of face-to-face experiences in which learners share online experiences, although not all learners at the same location (online learning) (Auston et al, 2008). To guide the research in the teachers’ use of ICT especially in blended learning, it is needed a theoretical framework and TPACK is the best framework. TPAC (Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) is the interplay of three primary forms of Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), and Technological Knowledge (TK) (Koehler & Mishra, 2005). Based on the previous studies, the studies have yielded positive result in enhancing teachers capability to integrate ICT for instructional practice and discussed how TPACK can be used to guide educators’ effort in dealing with the challenges of teaching and learning through fourth by changing technologies rapidly.

To found out the data, the author applied quasi-experimental in nature wherein a pretest-posttest non-equivalent group design was employed. Involving 60 science teachers, 30 teachers were in experimental group (were trained for blended learning) and the others 30 teachers were in control group (were trained by traditional learning). Used knowledge scale based on TPACK to measure the teachers’ ICT knowledge and t-test to analyze the data. It can be concluded that TPACK had provided a valuable tool for assessing teachers’ knowledge in area of technology integration and also indicated that the experimental groups had more significant improvements than the control group, and both two group also had the ICT knowledge above average.

TPACK, Journal Summary 9

Teacher's Computer Self -Efficacy and It's Relationship with Cognitive Style and TPACK

Omar Lopez-Vargas. Leydy Duarte-Suarez and Jaime Ibanez-Ibanez

The use of information technologies by teachers in  the classroom activity was becoming frequent, while studies on subject matter show that in some schools where the technology was available it was not use efficiently due to the low-levels of self-efficacy that teachers possess regard to the use of ICT in the classroom. What students get was based on teachers' performance. When the teachers felt insecure about using technology during teaching process, they will possibly determine their use during the development of the corresponding subject. In contrast, when the teacher felt confident they possibly used technology as a tool to help in favoring students' learning process. This such case named self-efficacy. Self-efficacy in ICT context could be defined as the perception that individual have of their own abilities regarding the knowledge and skills related to the use of computers (Salanova et al, 2004)

Along to the design and implementation of courses to rain the teachers on the used of ICT the TPACK framework can be used (Koehlr and Mishra, 2005; Koehler, Mishra & Yahya, 2007). Some experts argued that this framework can be used by teachers as the base due to this framework proposes that an adequate use of technology in classrooms occurs insofar as contents, pedagogy, and technology are integrated in a structure manner (Koehler & Mishra, 2005). In this research area can be added another variable, such as FDI (the Field Dependence-Independence) dimension. In ICT context, FDI dimension has evidenced, systematically, that subject denominated FI perform is better than their FD classmates, when they interact with computational environments. Studies about FDI proposed and development by Witkin & Goodenough (1981).

In order to gathering the data, the authors were implementing correlation type complete by ANOVA which conducted 208 teachers (162 women and 46 men) where taking from 10 public schools in the different municipalities in Valle de Tenza, Boyaca, Columbia. Some instruments used in this study were teachers' computer self-efficacy developed by Sang et al (2010) which exhibits a degree of reliability or Cronbach's x=90 with contains 9 items. It wa a self reporting questionnaire with a likert scale 1-5. TPACK questionnaire which contained 30 items with a likert scale 1-5. Cognitive style test used the instrument that proposed by Sawa (1966) consist of 5 subjects presented in separate pages.

The result showed the significant associations between cognitive style, self-efficacy, TK and TPACK. In addition, they evidenced the existence of significant differences in self-efficacy, TK and TPACK according to the performance area and cognitive style.