INVESTIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE THROUGH THINK ALOUD PROTOCOLS & FINDING SOLUTIONS THROUGH FEEDBACK PRACTICES

Abstract

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has received considerable attention among teacher training researchers; however, only a limited number of established empirical frameworks to date have focused on the attempts for ascertaining how PCK is gained and how additional opportunities can be provided for expanding PCK. The premise of this research paper is to contribute to an understanding the challenges that prospective teachers encounter in PCK and to suggest new and alternative practice to help prospective teachers internalize PCK and discuss the gaps through educator and peer feedback. The participants of the study were 81 prospective teachers of English enrolled in the third year of an English Language Teaching—ELT—program at a Turkish university. The introspective methods—think aloud protocols and prognostic exams—and retrospective methods—questionnaires and achievement exams—were used to collect and scrutinize the data. The results suggest that peer feedback for PCK provided through collaborative discussion was more comprehensible and helpful than educator feedback for the prospective teachers, though educator feedback was considered to be more professional.