tpck

1. TPACK and ESL Instruction
Emtinan Alqurashi
January 2015
GDIT 706 Developing a Learning Environment Using IT
School of Education
Duquesne University

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Introduction
Teaching is a complex process. Shulman, in the mid 80s, has helped us understand this
complexity by explaining the PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework.
Shulman has discussed that the key to an effective teaching practice is “teacher’s
understanding of how to bring together his or her content and pedagogical knowledge”
(Hofer, & Grandgenett, 2012, p. 84). Koehler & Mishra, in 2006, has developed a third
component of knowledge in PCK framework, which is TK (Technological Knowledge).
They defined TK as “Knowledge about standard technologies, such as books, chalks,
blackboard, and more advanced technologies, such as the Internet and digital video”
(Hofer, & Grandgenett, 2012, p. 85), Interactive whiteboards and software programs
(Baran, Chuang & Thompson, 2011). By adding TK to the PCK framework, Koehler &
Mishra have developed new intersection in teacher’s knowledge. This module is called
TPACK.
TPACK model, as shown in figure 1, consists of three main components of teacher’s
knowledge: Content, Pedagogy and Technology. First, Content knowledge (CK) refers to
the subject matters that students have learned. Mishra & Koehler, (2006, p. 1026) have
defined CK as the “knowledge about actual subject matter that is to be learned or taught”
(Cited in Schmidt, et al., 2009, p. 125). Second, Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) refers to
the instructional methods and its application. Third, Technological Knowledge (TK)
refers to the application of technology tools and resources (Schmidt, et al., 2009).

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Figure 1.
TPACK Framework
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by
http://tpack.org/
Interactions between and among these components of knowledge are important for this
model, consisting of: First, Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), which deals mainly
with not just teaching process but also knowledge about the content to develop better
teaching practice. Second, Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), which is
knowledge of how to create a new illustration of content areas with using technology.
Third, Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), which is knowledge of how
different technologies can be used to support teaching process. Finally, Technological
Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), which is the knowledge that teachers are
required to have in order to integrate technology in their teaching in any discipline.
(Baran, Chuang & Thompson, 2011; Koehler, & Mishra, 2009).
TPACK and Teaching English as a Second Language

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The application of technology in ESL teaching is important nowadays and teachers need
to have the three main components of knowledge (i.e. content, pedagogy and
technology). ESL courses mainly consists of conversational English classes where
students practice the used of language in heard and written dialogues. As an ESL teacher
of Saudi students, I must have knowledge about the cultural differences between Saudi
Arabia and England in my case. This will help me to better teach and deliver my
curriculum. In addition, technology knowledge is an important factor for effective
language teaching, and integrating the suitable technology into ESL classrooms such as
visual and auditory aids in language learning is the key of TPACK model of pedagogical
knowledge, content knowledge, and technology knowledge.
Literature Review
A number of researches were carried out to investigate the application of TPACK among
pre-service teachers and in-service teachers in different disciplines. Kurt, Mishra and
Kocoglu (2013) conducted a study with 22 pre-service teachers who were in the final
year of English Language Teaching program. They found a statistically significant
increase in TK, TCK, TPK and TPACK scores of pre-service from the begging of the
research comparing to the end. Similar result by Hervey and Watson (2013), they
conducted a study with 20 in-service teachers who were enrolled in a graduate course in
literacy, technology and media. 19 of them were female and 1 was male and they are
between the ages of 23 to 54 with variety of teaching experiences. The study found that
post-class test results were significantly higher than pre-class test results in two areas: (a)
teacher’s beliefs in using technology for instructional purposes, and (b) their in-class
technology skills. On the other hand, teacher’s pedagogical approaches or beliefs in using

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technology did not change in the post-test. Tai and Chuanh (2012) have researched in-
service English teachers to help develop teacher’s proficiency in TPACK model and
integrate technology into their classrooms. They emphasized that teachers need to know
why they are using a certain technology and how to use it. They stated that “teachers
need to be equipped with more than technology knowledge and teachers must use
technology while learning to integrate technology to be able to integrate technology
effectively in the authentic teaching context” (p. 2).
ResearchQuestions
These are some potential research questions for future researches:
 Do the components of TPACK model correlate for ESL teachers?
 How do the demographic characteristics of ESL teachers correlate with their
TPACK?
Methodology
Identifying a suitable instrument is important to investigate teacher’s knowledge of
TPACK and answer the research question. Quantitative methodology will be used for this
research. The proposed instrument is TPACK Competency Survey, which was developed
by Archambault and Crippen (2009). The survey aims to measures teacher’s knowledge
in the three key components as described by the TPACK model: technology, pedagogy,
content, and also the intersection of each of these areas. The survey includes of 24 items
designed to measure online teachers’ knowledge. The survey asks participants to rate
their knowledge in certain tasks in a five-point Likert scale ranging from poor (1) to

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excellent (5). The reliability coefficient for each sub scale was reported “ranging from
alpha = .699 for the technology content domain to alpha = .888 for the domain of
technology” (Archambault and Crippen, 2009, p. 78). This would help researchers to
have a deeper understanding of the concept investigated and provide deep insight into
teacher’s knowledge in integrating technology in their teaching in any subject matter.

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References
Archambault, L., & Crippen, K. (2009). Examining TPACK among K-12 online distance
educators in the United States. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher
Education, 9(1), 71-88.
Baran, E., Chuang, H., & Thompson, A. (2011). TPACK: An Emerging Research and
Development Tool for Teacher Educators. Turkish Online Journal Of Educational
Technology - TOJET, 10(4), 370-377.
Hofer, M., & Grandgenett, N. (2012). TPACK Development in Teacher Education: A
Longitudinal Study of Preservice Teachers in a Secondary M.A.Ed. Program. Journal
Of Research On Technology In Education, 45(1), 83-106.
Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content
knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1) 60-70.
Kurt, G., Mishra, P., & Kocoglu, Z. (2013). Technological pedagogical content
knowledge development of Turkish pre-service teachers of English. Paper presented at
the meeting of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, New
Orleans, LA.
Schmidt, D. A., Baran, E., Thompson, A. D., Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J., & Shin, T. S.
(2009). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK): The Development
and Validation of an Assessment Instrument for Preservice Teachers. Journal Of
Research On Technology In Education, 42(2), 123-149.
Spires, H., Hervey, L., & Watson, T. (2013). Scaffolding the TPACK framework in
reading and language arts: New literacies, new minds. In C.A. Young &Kajder
(Eds.), Research on technology in English education, 33-61. Charlotte, NC:
Information Age Publishing.
Tai, S.-J. D., & Chuang, H.-H. (2012). TPACK-in-Action: An Innovative Model to Help
English Teachers Integrate CALL. Paper presented at the ICCE 2012, Singapore.
Retrieved from http://www.lsl.nie.edu.sg/icce2012/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/C6-t-
68.pdf

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Appendix A
Demographic Information
Gender
 Male
 Female
Age
 18-22
 23-26
 27-32
 +32
Years of teaching experience
 I have no teaching experience
 1-3
 4-6
 7-9
 10-12
 +12

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Appendix B
Survey Items by Domain (Archambault and Crippen, 2009, p. 87)
Pedagogical Knowledge
(j) My ability to determine a particular strategy best suited to teach a specific concept.
(c) My ability to use a variety of teaching strategies to relate various concepts to students.
(r) My ability to adjust teaching methodology based on student performance/feedback.
Technological Knowledge
(a) My ability to troubleshoot technical problems associated with hardware (e.g., network
connections).
(g) My ability to address various computer issues related to software (e.g., downloading
appropriate plug-ins, installing programs).
(q) My ability to assist students with troubleshooting technical problems with their
personal computers.
Content Knowledge
(b) My ability to create materials that map to specific district/state standards.
(d) My ability to decide on the scope of concepts taught within in my class.
(m) My ability to plan the sequence of concepts taught within my class.
Technological Content Knowledge
(o) My ability to use technological representations (i.e. multimedia, visual
demonstrations, etc.) to demonstrate specific concepts in my content area).
(t) My ability to implement district curriculum in an online environment.
(v) My ability to use various courseware programs to deliver instruction (e.g.,
Blackboard, Centra).
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
(f) My ability to distinguish between correct and incorrect problem solving attempts by
students.

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(i) My ability to anticipate likely student misconceptions within a particular topic.
(s) My ability to comfortably produce lesson plans with an appreciation for the topic.
(u) My ability to assist students in noticing connections between various concepts in a
curriculum.
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge
(h) My ability to create an online environment which allows students to build new
knowledge and skills.
(l) My ability to implement different methods of teaching online
(n) My ability to moderate online interactivity among students
(p) My ability to encourage online interactivity among students
Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge
(e) My ability to use online student assessment to modify instruction
(k) My ability to use technology to predict students' skill/understanding of a particular
topic
(w) My ability to use technology to create effective representations of content that depart
from textbook knowledge
(x) My ability to meet the overall demands of online teaching