Accounting for Expertise: Unravelling the Effects of Training and Experience on Pedagogical Content Knowledge in High School Genetics Instruction

Abstract

Teaching experience and training are factors perceived to produce better pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Therefore, this study examined their impact on PCK, involving 149 high school biology teachers in Ghana. Using Magnusson and colleagues’ 1999 PCK framework, a 40-item questionnaire assessed PCK for teaching genetics. From the study there was no significant difference in the PCK of teachers in any of the components of PCK based on their teaching experience or training. However, differences existed in the way the components correlated with each other according to teaching experience and training. Training was found to improve PCK component interactions. However, teaching experience was found to improve interactions only within the first ten years of teachers’ practice, beyond which it became hindering. The findings suggest teaching experience and training perhaps only significantly impact how teachers make interconnections between different knowledge bases and not their aptitude in the individual knowledge bases themselves.