Teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and learners’ performance in electromagnetic induction following a generic intervention

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of a generic intervention on in-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and on their learners’ performance in Grade 11 electromagnetic induction (EMI). The sub-topic of EMI was selected as it received little attention in the literature. The conceptual framework was adapted from the refined consensus model for PCK, viewing the intervention as knowledge flow from collective PCK to personal and enacted PCK, enhancing learner outcomes. The research problem required a pragmatic perspective, using a mixed methods case study approach with teachers’ PCK constituting qualitative data while learner performance provided quantitative data in a two-group, baseline-test / post-test design. Eight schools were conveniently selected to participate in the study. PCK data was collected from the four teachers in the treatment group before and after the intervention to track the development of their PCK in EMI. Several data collection instruments were used. A standard PCK instrument, the CoRe tool, was applied before and after the intervention. Furthermore, video-recorded lesson observations, video-stimulated recall interviews and a semi-structured interview were used to assess PCK development. A total of 411 Grade 11 Physical Sciences learners from the treatment and control groups wrote a baseline test on a previously completed Grade 11 topic before the intervention. A post-test on EMI was written after the teaching of the topic EMI was completed. The Mann-Whitney test, conducted at a 5% level of significance, showed that there was no significant difference between the groups’ performance prior to the intervention, but that the treatment group performed significantly better than the control group in the post-test. This difference is ascribed to the PCK development of the treatment group teachers following the intervention. The results of the study added new knowledge about transfer of generic PCK to a specific sub-topic. Furthermore, it expanded the scarce literature on the influence of PCK interventions on learners’ performance. In the field of Physics Education, the study also added new knowledge about teaching EMI in Physics Education.