Fostering ePCK in pre-service biology teacher education using adaptive scaffolding in a video-based simulation

Abstract

A core element of teacherss' professional knowledge is their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). The Refined Consensus Model of PCK defines three realms of PCK: collective PCK, personal PCK and enacted PCK. ePCK encompasses the acts of planning and reflecting on a lesson. Digital simulations allow the training of transferring pPCK to ePCK in early teacher education. Until now, it remains unclear how digital simulations could be personalized. We analyze different types of adaptation granularity for a scaffolding via cognitive activation promptspresenting a study that was completed in a three-level single factor pre-post-test design. N=115 pre-service biology teachers were randomly assigned to three treatment groups receiving scaffolds either based on a summative cPCK-score or based on situation-specific cPCK-scores or no scaffolding. A mixed ANOVA revealed a main effect of time (Huynh-Feldt F(1.87, 208.92)=53.56, p<.001) as well as of treatment (F(2, 530.39)=3.47, p=.034) and a significant interaction effect of time and treatment (Huynh-Feldt F(3.73, 208.92)=5.62, p<.001). Regardless of the adaptation modus, scaffolding led to a higher ePCK when the scaffold was presented, but only participants receiving situation-specific scaffolding had a higher ePCK in the post-test. These findings can contribute to improve teacher education by using personalized digital simulations training ePCK.

Keywords

• Simulation-based learning
• adaptive scaffolding
• teacher education
• refined Consensus Model of PCK
• instructional quality
• biology education