Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Science Tutors and Its Influence on Their Trainees

Abstract

This study presents the pedagogical content knowledge of science tutors of colleges of education and its impact on the pedagogical content knowledge advancement of teacher trainees. A descriptive survey design was employed to obtain data for the study using 120 teacher trainees and six science tutors from two colleges of education. The research instruments used for the study were a questionnaire, interview guide, and observation checklist. The study found that the pedagogical content knowledge demonstrated by the science tutors was dependent on the number of years of teaching experience and qualification. Out of the six tutors, two tutors demonstrated the highest pedagogical content knowledge with 10-12 years of teaching experience. The Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient (r) was found to be reaching unity suggesting that the science tutors' pedagogical content knowledge has a very strong positive influence on their teacher trainees' pedagogical content knowledge development. About 62.5-87.5% of their pedagogical content was influenced by the pedagogical content knowledge of their tutors. Based on the findings, the study recommends adaptation of a transformative model of pedagogical content knowledge, for initial training of teacher trainees starting out as teachers and continuous training for experienced teachers who are learning to teach new subjects. This will offer a mechanism for changing practice.