Assessing the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge of English Language Teachers in Cape Coast, Ghana (Published)
The study assessed the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) of public Junior High School English Language teachers in Cape Coast. Triangulation design in the form of mixed methods was used which involved 150 English Language teachers. The simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample of one hundred and fifty (150) out of two hundred and forty (240). A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were used to gather quantitative and qualitative data respectively, and they form the basis for the research. Frequency, means, and standard deviation were used in analysing the quantitative data while the qualitative data were analyzed thematically in line with the research questions. The confidence to teach any aspect of the English Language, and adequate knowledge about the content of the English Language Curriculum of the Junior High School are vital indications that a teacher has command of the content knowledge. Also, the major indicators for the effective application of pedagogical knowledge of the English Language teacher include the ability to manage the classroom effectively, to connect different concepts to enhance students’ understanding, to install software programmes for teaching to use popular application software and to use of blogs, Facebook, Twitter to teach students are indications of the teachers’ technological knowledge.
Keywords: Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), technological knowledge (TK)., technology integration
Teaching with Technologies: The preparedness of Pre-Service Science Teachers (Published)
The study investigated the preparedness of pre-service science teachers towards teaching with technology. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. A simple random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 150 students from the population of 620 pre-service science teachers of the University of Port Harcourt. A Teaching with Technology Readiness Indicator (TWTRI) was developed by the researcher to obtain the readiness level of the pre-service science teachers. The instrument reliability was determined through test-retest method and a stability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained. Two experts in the field of Educational Technology and another two in the field of Measurement and Evaluation confirmed the validity of the instrument. Four research questions were answered with the use of mean and four corresponding hypotheses were tested using independent sample t-test. The results of the study showed that the pre-service science teachers were prepared for teaching with technologies with respect to technological skills, attitude, anxiety and self-efficacy. There was no significant difference in the preparedness of male and female pre-service science teachers. Continuous professional development, proper planning, selection of adequate technology and provision of technology infrastructure were recommended.
Keywords: Preparedness, teaching with technology, technological skills, technology integration