Exploring the technical pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) of Taiwanese university physics instructors

Abstract

University science teachers’ technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) is crucial for effective teaching. Although there has been a plethora of studies investigating pre-service and in-service teachers’ TPACK, few studies have examined university instructors’ TPACK and university students’ perceptions of instructors’ TPACK. The main purpose of this study was to examine the TPACK questionnaire differences between university students’ perceptions and instructors’ self-perceptions, and assess differences in university physics instructors’ TPACK according to gender, academic degrees and teaching experience in Taiwan. This study adopted and revised an instrument for measuring university students’ perceptions of science instructors’ TPACK. The sample was randomly selected from the physics instructors of universities in the northern, central, and southern regions of Taiwan. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine the dimensions of the instrument. The results revealed that the TPACK questionnaire of university physics instructors’ views were different from the university students’ perceptions. University physics instructors’ results indicated statistical significance in overall TPACK according to teaching experience. The research implications of this study are provided along with suggestions.