Chemistry teachers’ perceptions of team teaching in enhancing their pedagogical content knowledge: a case study of a secondary school in Embu County, Kenya.
Date of Award
12-2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (MEd)
First Supervisor/Advisor
Ms. Mary Anyango Oluga
Second Supervisor/Advisor
Dr. Mweru Mwingi
Department
Institute for Educational Development, East Africa
Abstract
Team teaching is one of the rich avenues through which chemistry teachers‟ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) can be enhanced. However studies have shown that perceptions richly impact on the choices that chemistry teachers make concerning a particular pedagogical strategy like team teaching. Though in team teaching teachers are engaged in the three components of co-planning, co-instruction and co-assessment for a group of learners, chemistry teachers are rarely involved in these components and especially co-instruction. Understanding the chemistry teachers‟ perceptions of team teaching and how these perceptions inform their practise was therefore the aim of this study since through team teaching the pedagogical content knowledge of the teachers can be greatly enhanced. The study was conducted in one of the public secondary schools in Kenya. The study employed a qualitative case study approach to gain deep insight into the perceptions that the four chemistry teachers had of team teaching in enhancing their pedagogical content knowledge. Besides the approach enabled use of multiple data collection methods which were one-on-one interviews, document analysis and observations which facilitated collaboration of the findings enhancing trustworthiness of the study. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that perceptions greatly impacted on the chemistry teachers‟ practices and that while some chemistry teachers actually team taught, others wrongly misconceived it to be team work, hence limiting the teachers‟ opportunity of developing their PCK. As a result, practises such as teacher to teacher consultations, lesson observations and exchange of topics and lessons based on the chemistry teachers‟ competence were also mistaken to be team teaching by the chemistry teachers. The study therefore recommends that team teaching is correctly modelled at all the levels of teacher education continuum to feature the key components of co-planning, co-instruction and co-assessment for the same group of learners so as to enhance the pedagogical content knowledge of the chemistry teachers. Key terms: team teaching, perceptions, pedagogical content knowledge
Recommended Citation
Margaret Karimi Njiru. (2014). Chemistry teachers’ perceptions of team teaching in enhancing their pedagogical content knowledge: a case study of a secondary school in Embu County, Kenya. (Unpublished Masters Thesis). Dar es salaam: Aga Khan University