Assessment of high school physics teachers pedagogical content knowledge related to the teaching of electricity


Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Eğitim Fakültesi, Matematik ve Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2012

Öğrenci: ERALP BAHÇİVAN

Eş Danışman: ÖMER FARUK ÖZDEMİR, UFUK YILDIRIM

Özet:

The main purpose of this study is to assess pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of in-service physics teachers about electricity topic in high school level by developing a paper-and-pencil instrument consisting of open-ended items. The instrument was developed with four different implementations by administration to the 278 in-service physics teachers. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis including only PCK items was conducted in validation processes. The relations among teachers’ job satisfaction levels, perceived self-efficacy levels, years of teaching experience and specific experiences, attendance to in-service training seminars related to physics teaching programs and teachers’ PCK were also analyzed by a confirmatory structural equation modeling study in validation of test scores. SPSS and AMOS programs were used in the analyses. Results of the study showed that teachers’ perceived self-efficacy level, attendance to in-service training seminars and specific experiences were significant predictors of their PCK. Teachers’ years of teaching experience and job satisfaction level were not significant predictors of their PCK. Inter-rater reliability scores were calculated as 0.86 and 78% for scoring and coding of the participant teachers’ responses respectively. Results also showed that there are many Turkish physics teachers whose PCK scores regarding students’ learning difficulties and misconceptions are below the average and participants mostly prefer to implement direct instruction in their classrooms as the instructional strategy.