The rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) means that teachers need to be encouraged to use it effectively in their teaching. The appropriate pedagogical use of ICT requires the development of what is known as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). TPACK is the integration of Technological Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge (TK) and Content Knowledge (CK).
In this study, we examined how teachers teaching chemistry content at different levels of education perceive their own level of TPACK, and examined how teachers' perceived level of TPACK is related to age, gender, teaching at different levels of education, time spent teaching chemistry content, frequency of ICT use, frequency of how ICT is used, and teacher's characteristics such as teacher's beliefs about teaching and learning with ICT, the teacher's perceived level of self-efficacy in using ICT and the teacher's level of innovation, while examining the impact of teacher training on TPACK for using videos in teaching chemistry content on the teacher's perceived level of TPACK, on the teacher's perceived level of self-efficacy of using ICT, on the teacher's perceived level of self-efficacy for editing videos, on the teacher's beliefs about teaching and learning with ICT, and on the teacher's performance on the TPACK test.
The first part of the study involved 261 teachers from all parts of Slovenia, specifically 246 women and 15 men. In average they were 45 years old and have been teaching chemistry for an average of 18 years at different levels of education. In the second part of the study, we selected 20 participants who had expressed a desire for professional development in the field of TPACK to use videos for teaching chemistry. Data were collected through questionnaires and a TPACK test.
The results of the first part of the study showed that teachers teaching chemistry perceive a high level of TPACK. We found a strong correlation of teachers' perceived level of TPACK with teachers' age, frequency of ICT use, teachers' perceived level of self-efficacy in ICT use and teachers' level of innovation. We found a moderately strong correlation of the teacher's perceived level of TPACK with the time spent teaching chemistry content and with the teacher's beliefs about teaching and learning with ICT. The correlation of gender and level of teaching with perceived level of TPACK was not statistically significant.
In the second part of the study, we found a significant effect of teacher training on teachers' perceived level of TPACK, on teachers' perceived level of self-efficacy in using ICT, on teachers' perceived level of self-efficacy in editing videos, and on teachers' performance on the chemistry TPACK test. There was no statistically significant difference between teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning with ICT before and after teacher training.
The scientific contribution of research in the field of chemistry education is the finding that teachers who teach chemistry content perceive a high level of TPACK and that teacher training has a strong effect on the perceived level of TPACK. An important contribution is also the finding of a strong correlation between the perceived level of TPACK and teachers' age, the frequency of ICT use, their perceived self-efficacy in using ICT, and their level of innovativeness. A key contribution of the doctoral dissertation, based on the results of the research and the synthesis of theoretical background, is the set of guidelines for the preparation of professional development on TPACK for the use of videos in teaching chemistry content, as well as guidelines to improve teachers’ perceived level of TPACK.
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