Assessing Senior Secondary School Physics Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Components Using Parks’ Pentagon Model

Teaching is not the simple transmission of information but a complex act that require teachers to apply knowledge from multiple domains in order to facilitate students’ learning. This paper reports the first part of a study that explored secondary school physics teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) components: (a) Orientations toward Teaching Science, (b) Knowledge of Student Understanding, (c) Knowledge of Instructional Strategies and Representations, (d) Knowledge of Science Curriculum, and (e) Knowledge of Assessment of Science Learning. The research adopted qualitative case study research design within Bauchi metropolis. The population of the study consists of twenty five (25) SS II physics teachers out of which two were sampled purposely. Data sources included classroom observations, semi – structured interviews guide, teacher’s lesson plans, audio recorder and video-taper. Data were analyzed through three different approaches: (a) in-depth analysis of explicit PCK, (b) enumerative approach, and (c) constant comparative method. Data analysis indicated five salient features of the integration of the PCK components: (a) the integration of the components was idiosyncratic and topic-specific; (b) Knowledge of Physics Curriculum and Knowledge of Instructional Strategies and Representations has most limited integration; (c) Knowledge of Students Understanding and Knowledge of Assessment of Physics Learning had high interaction with other components; (d) Knowledge of Assessment of Physics Learning was poorly connected with Knowledge of Student Understanding and Knowledge of Instructional Strategies and Representations than with the other components; and (e) Didactic Orientations toward Teaching Physics directed Knowledge of Instructional Strategies and Representations inhibiting its connection with other components. This study highlights that the quality of PCK depends on the coherence among the components as well as the strength of individual components. From a methodological perspective, this study demonstrates the possibility to make PCK more visible and accessible by mapping PCK components using Pack Pentagon Model.