EXAMINING PHYSICS TEACHERS’ DOMAIN-SPECIFIC PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE COMPONENTS IN LESOTHO SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is considered an important ingredient in shaping classroom practice. PCK requires valid measurement at domain-specific level on different components excluding the teaching context. While the research focuses on measuring the PCK of unqualified teachers and pre-service teachers, the description of qualified teachers’ domain-specific PCK is often overlooked. The purpose of this study was to measure quantitatively the domain-specific PCK of qualified physics teachers focusing on the five PCK components: content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, assessment knowledge, knowledge of students and curricular knowledge. Data were collected through the paper-and pencil PCK test that was responded to by 87 Physics teachers teaching the last two years of secondary school. Data were analyzed using the Extended Rasch Model and descriptive statistics. The results revealed that Physics teachers have a low PCK in general and low levels of PCK components, the lowest being content knowledge. The study recommends regular refresher workshops for qualified teachers focused on developing different PCK components, with more emphasis on content knowledge. Keywords: pedagogical content knowledge, physics teachers, domain-specific PCK, PCK components