Implementation of an Andragogical Teacher Professional Development Training Program for Boosting TPACK in STEM Education: The Essential Role of a Personalized Learning System

Abstract

Several previous studies have indicated that teachers require knowledge to enhancing technology-integrated instructional practices for representing and formulating the content to students. Therefore, the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework is essential for advancing teacher professional development (TPD) programs while using technology-integrated teaching. Moreover, personalized learning systems have been increasingly recommended to improve the quality of professional teacher development. This TPD study was based on andragogy theory and the TPACK framework. This study implemented an andragogical TPD outreach program integrating a TPACK-oriented personalized learning system as a 2-year face-to-face training mode for TPACK-focused science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to in-service STEM teachers from secondary schools in northeastern Thailand. They were employing a pre-post intervention design method, this paper reports on an ongoing longitudinal investigation of the influence of the TPD program, disseminated in four 2-day intensive training workshops, on 153 in-service teachers’ TPACK development. The study measured participants’ changes of the cognitive outcome on how to teach STEM situation-related photosynthesis, friction, light and vision, and composite materials with digital technology using multiple-choice TPACK tests embedded in the proposed personalized learning system. The results showed in-service STEM teachers’ incremental TPACK improvement from the implementation of the TPD intervention. The results indicate the alleged superiority of the integrated personalized learning system as a critical part of promoting TPACK development in STEM education.

Keywords

• personalized learning
• mobile technology
• andragogy
• teacher training
• stem education