Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Instructional Design and Teaching Practice of High School Biology Teachers

Abstract

The pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of six high school biology teachers was investigated using an interview, a questionnaire and class observations. The interview investigated the teacher’ content knowledge by proving their view of the organization of biology and the levels of importance that they associate with the topics included within the scope of the subject matter. The data from the interview was used in the construction of a diagram of the teachers’ subject matter structures (SMS), while the levels of importance identified was used as a basis for class observation. A questionnaire was used to determine teacher knowledgeability in the various biological topics and to produce a background profile of each of the teachers.

Class observations were conducted to determine if differences exist in the way teachers teach topics associated with their levels of importance and those in which their knowledgeability varies.

Not all of the teachers had a well-developed PCK. The data show that the teachers with a more developed PCK tend to vary their teaching methodologies slightly, from teacher-dominated to student-centered strategies when teaching topics that they perceive as important for students to learn. The major ideas of biology that they expressed in their SMS are also perceived as the most important topics for students to learn. These are most often also the topics wherein they had high knowledgeability...