Since first conceived, the concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has attracted much attention. Despite being lauded by educationalists as the unique knowledge base of teachers, research on the concept over the past 30 years has yet to result in a universally accepted definition being presented. Much of the contentions surrounding the lack of an agreed upon conception appear to have stemmed from difficulties in understanding the relationship between PCK, other areas of teacher knowledge, teacher beliefs, and enacted practice. This paper considers the application of PCK frameworks to design and technology (D&T) education, through an analysis of the nature of the discipline from an ontological and epistemological perspective and contemporary perspectives on the construct of PCK. It is theorised that the volition afforded to teachers in D&T through weakly framed subject boundaries negates the effective application of PCK frameworks, as teachers' beliefs have a greater impact on enacted practices. In an attempt to better understanding enacted practice in D&T education, the paper proposes a methodological framework centred on the interactions between teachers' beliefs and knowledge in the discipline, through synthesising the concept of amplifiers and filters of practice with the nature of D&T education. The proposed framework outlines the need to recognise individual teachers' conception of capability as a critical influence on enacted practice.

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This article examines content validity in teacher made tests in elementary technology education-an interdisciplinary subject mandatory for all pupils in compulsory school in Sweden. The context of teacher-based assessments relies heavily on trust for teachers to cope with demands. Even though the system is challenged and preconditions for teachers' assessment practices are not always adequate to support instruction, much is unknown about teachers' assessment practices. In this explorative study, 30 teacher-designed tests in technology education from 12 elementary schools were scrutinized in regards to content validity and the types of questions used to assess student knowledge supporting technological literacy. The results present the content validity of these tests in its current form, which may call into question the validity in terms of content and ability. Furthermore, the tests indicate how the technology school subject continues to struggle with shifting epistemologies and technologies far removed from pupils' everyday lives, which seem to contradict the aims and purpose of the subject.

In Sweden, grades are used for selection to upper-secondary school and higher education, even though agreement in teachers' grading is low and the selection therefore potentially unfair. Furthermore, measures taken to increase the agreement have not been successful. This study has explored how to increase agreement in teachers' grading by comparing analytic and holistic grading. Teachers (n = 74) have been randomly assigned to two different conditions (i.e. analytic or holistic grading) in either English as a foreign language (EFL) or mathematics. Findings suggest that analytic grading is preferable to holistic grading in terms of agreement among teachers. The effect was stronger and statistically significant in EFL, but could be observed in mathematics as well. However, teachers in the holistic conditions provided more references to criteria in their justifications, whereas teachers in the analytic conditions to a much larger extent made references to grade levels without specifying criteria.

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