Abstract:
The literature reviewed in this study indicates that evaluating teacher belief and purpose as factors that can develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) may be useful in broadening the assessment of teacher knowledge. This broadening encompasses training through daily classroom teaching. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to contribute to a larger, ongoing conversation about the possible factors that contribute to a teacher’s PCK. Using phenomenology as a theoretical lens, this study explores how experience shapes and refines the PCK of five first year Secondary Education Language Arts teachers. Employing the qualitative measure of interviewing and transcription, followed by inductive analysis by marking passages and phrases of interest, this study illuminates the insight and questions that come from examining multiple individual experiences and how experience is important in evaluating teacher knowledge. The findings of this study suggest that continual research into expanding ideas about evaluating teacher knowledge and the methods for conducting teacher evaluations needs to be ongoing.
