Answering the Research Question

What changes, if any, do TSPCK observed in lesson planning undergo when the well reasoned lesson plans are enacted out in the complexity of classroom practice?

The main research question is investigated through three sub-research questions:

i. What patterns of TSPCK component interactions are observed emerging from pre- service science teachers’ planning and actual classroom teaching of a physical science topic?

ii. How do such patterns differ from those reported by pre-service teachers from their self-analysis of their planning and its enactement into classroom practice?

iii. What views do pre-service teachers hold about the value of TSPCK in their teaching, particularly with respect to changes in their TSPCK (if any) from planning to practice?

The research question, divided into sub-questions in order to describe the three aspects of pre- service teachers’ pedagogical development involving recognition of TSPCK components in their planning and actual classroom teaching, noting the expansion of TSPCK episodes that emerged during classroom teaching and the views they have about the teaching of science.

6.2.1. What patterns of TSPCK component interactions are observed emerging from pre-

service science teachers’ planning and actual classroom teaching of a physical science topic?

Data analysis in Chapter 4 revealed key findings answering the first two subquestions, that the pedagogical transformation of content knowledge initially demonstrated commonly as a ‘single TSPCK episode’ of three components in the pre-service teachers’ lesson plans, was expanded into sophistication when acted out in classroom lessons to a ‘cluster TSPCK episode’.

It is important to recall that pedagogical transformation of content knowledge in this study is measured by the visible extent of interaction of the TSPCK components. Each interaction of two or more TSPCK components was defined as a TSPCK episode. The increase in sophistication of the TSPCK episodes in classroom practice could be confirmed as an expansion of the original episode in the lesson plan into a cluster made up of additional TSPCK epsodes. Some of the additional episodes had increased in the number of TSPCK components involved in the interaction , as was shown in Chapter 4, Figure 4.5, of Zandi’s first lesson re- illustrated below.

Figure 6.1. TSPCK map comparison of Zandi’s first lesson showing the expansion of TSPCK episode in classroom enactment.

In the lesson plan as featured in the left hand side of Figure 4.5, the big idea (CS) brought across to the learners was about the existence of two kinds of charges. Zandi planned a to use a conceptual Teaching Strategy (CTS) to of comparing the two charges and differentiating between a neutral object, electron-deficient object and an electron-rich object, which integrated

with the component of representations (R) as he planned to use sticky tape as part of his visual representation of attractive electrostatic forces.

The actual classroom teaching TSPCK episodes featured in the right hand side of Figure 4.3 expressed the same big idea,with the original planned TSPCK episode in colour to indicate where the episode exhibited itself in the actual delivery of the lesson.The sequencing of the lesson was expanded first reflecting awareness of the pre-service teacher of the need for discussing pre-concepts (structure of an atom) before discussing charges. The expansion is noticed again much further into the lesson with an additional TSPCK Episode LP/R/CS which occurred due to the interactions the teacher had with the learners. The pre-service teacher seem to have noted that the learner prior knowledge (LP) was focussing on the everyday definitions of the terminology used. He then added more representations displaying different types of charges before summarising with equations representing the concepts.

i. The complexity of the classroom situation and the effect of the learner interactions on the planned lesson changed the nature of the planned TSPCK Episodes into a ‘cluster TSPCK episode’ as the teacher embraced the need of pre-requisite knowledge and the emerging organic learner interactions. There was an expansion of the TSPCK episode, while still maintaining the essence of the planned lesson.

6.2.2 How do such patterns differ from those reported by pre-service teachers from their self- analysis of their planning and its enactement into classroom practice?

In summary, the examples shown above indicate the nature of presented analysis of lesson plans and teaching classroom which I have been in agreement with. The level of agreement between myself and the pre-service teachers were the same for their lesson plans as actual classroom teaching transcripts. As mentioned, establishing this agreement was important in determining the authenticity of the patterns.

6.2.3 What views do pre-service teachers hold about using TSCPK in their own teaching?

In chapter 5 the views expressed by pre-service teachers in their mini-research projects were generally displaying a positive regard for the TSPCK framework.

Pre-service teachers felt that they had gained practical teaching skills and confidence during their teaching experiences and reflective practices during the compilation of their mini-research

reports. They therefore began to gain a deeper understanding of how to plan and teach more effectively, influencing their commitment to their own development as teachers (Goldman and Grimbeek, 2014).

I now discuss the meaning and the implications derived from the findings from the perspective of the purpose of the study and the new knowledge suggested.