Abstract:
This study explored the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and its development of four
experienced biology teachers in the context of teaching school genetics. PCK was defined in terms
of teacher content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of students’ preconceptions
and learning difficulties. Data sources of teacher knowledge base included teacher-constructed
concept maps, pre- and post-lesson teacher interviews, video-recorded genetics lessons, postlesson
teacher questionnaire and document analysis of teacher’s reflective journals and students’
work samples. The results showed that the teachers’ individual PCK profiles consisted
predominantly of declarative and procedural content knowledge in teaching basic genetics
concepts. Conditional knowledge, which is a type of meta-knowledge for blending together
declarative and procedural knowledge, was also demonstrated by some teachers. Furthermore, the
teachers used topic-specific instructional strategies such as context-based teaching, illustrations,
peer teaching, and analogies in diverse forms but failed to use physical models and individual or
group student experimental activities to assist students’ internalization of the concepts. The
finding that all four teachers lacked knowledge of students’ genetics-related preconceptions was
equally significant. Formal university education, school context, journal reflection and
professional development programmes were considered as contributing to the teachers’ continuing
PCK development. Implications of the findings for biology teacher education are briefly discussed.
