Exploring Elementary School Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Quantitative Study
Keywords:
Pedagogical Knowledge, Inquiry-Based Learning, Teacher Practices, Elementary LevelAbstract
Pedagogical knowledge focuses on teachers' expertise regarding instructional methods and content knowledge for their subject area. This study explored elementary school teachers' perspectives on pedagogical knowledge. A quantitative survey was conducted with 100 elementary school teachers. The self-developed questionnaire measured five aspects of pedagogical knowledge on a 5-point Likert scale: pedagogy of inquiry, propositional knowledge, content knowledge, student-teacher interaction, and student-student interaction. Results showed teachers rated inquiry-based and student-centered practices very highly. They strongly agreed that they utilize students' prior knowledge, encourage investigation, focus on concept development, design engaging activities, build thinking through questioning, allow expression of student perspectives, etc. However, peer interaction practices are viewed as less common currently. The overall mean score for pedagogical knowledge was 104.93. Significant gender differences existed as female teachers (M=108.44) had more positive perceptions than male teachers (M=101.42) across all subscales. In conclusion, while teachers were very confident regarding their learner-centric instructional practices, scope exists for further improvement in student collaborative work. Greater emphasis on peer learning and group activities would enrich the classroom environment.
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