The impact of physics teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and motivation on students’ achievement and interest

Abstract

This paper examines students' achievement and interest and the extent to which they are predicted by teacher knowledge and motivation. Student achievement and interest are both considered desirable outcomes of school instruction. Teacher pedagogical content knowledge has been identified a major predictor of student achievement in previous research, whereas teacher motivation is considered a decisive factor influencing students' interest. So far, however, most research either focused on knowledge or motivation (both on the students' as well as the teachers' side), rarely investigating them together or examining the instructional mechanisms through which the supposed effects of teacher knowledge and motivation are facilitated. In the present study, N ¼ 77 physics teachers and their classes in Germany and Switzerland are investigated utilizing a multi-method approach in combining data obtained from testinstruments (teacher pedagogical content knowledge, student achievement) and questionnaires (teacher motivation, student interest, student perceived enthusiastic teaching) as well as videotaped instruction (cognitive activation rated by observers). Multi-level structural equation modeling was used to support the assumptions that teacher pedagogical content knowledge positively predicted students' achievement; the effect was mediated by cognitive activation. Teachers' motivation predicted students' interest which was mediated by enthusiastic teaching as perceived by students. Neither did teacher pedagogical content knowledge predict students' interest, nor teacher motivation students' achievement. This implies that in order to improve students' cognitive as well as affective outcomes, both teachers' knowledge but also their motivation need to be considered. motivation need to be considered.

Structure and development of pre-service physics teachers’ professional knowledge

“…A high PCK has been found to ensure a high cognitive activation in the context of physics instructions (Keller et al, 2017), and on the level of reform-based science teaching in biology classrooms (Park et al, 2011). For elementary math teachers, a positive influence of content knowledge for teaching (a blend of CK and PCK) on student learning has been confirmed (Hill et al, 2005) and secondary-level math teachers' PCK was found to influence students' learning directly and mediated through cognitive activation (Baumert et al, 2010).…”

“…Research has shown that teachers' professional knowledge positively affects instructional quality and thus student learning (Baumert et al, 2010;Heller, Daehler, Wong, Shinohara, & Miratrix, 2012;Hill, Rowan, & Ball, 2005;Keller, Neumann, & Fischer, 2017;Park, Jang, Chen, & Jung, 2011;Roth et al, 2011). A high PCK has been found to ensure a high cognitive activation in the context of physics instructions (Keller et al, 2017), and on the level of reform-based science teaching in biology classrooms (Park et al, 2011).…”

Teacher Pedagogic Competency and National Examination Result at Elementary School

“…Very high Based on the analysis of competency data of elementary school teachers in Gerokgak subdistrict, it was found that 77,97 teachers were competent with very high category. Teacher pedagogical content knowledge mainly influences student learning whereas teacher motivation mainly influences students'interest [11]. [12] Pedagogical competence is primarily concerned with the level of understanding of learners, instructional design, and implementation of learning the diagnosis, evaluation of learning, the development of learners has provided significant support in the form of professional pedagogical teaching.…”

Investigating the relationship between pre‐service physics teachers' professional knowledge, self‐concept, and interest

“…This research suggests that in order to offer high quality instructions, teachers need profound professional knowledge (Shulman, ) as well as respective motivational orientations (Baumert & Kunter, ; Blömeke, Gustaffson, & Shavelson, ). In fact, Kunter et al () present evidence that in addition to the importance of professional knowledge for student learning, motivational orientations play a major role in sparking students' motivation and interest (see also Keller, Neumann, & Fischer, ). Teacher education programs now face the task of conjointly fostering a profound professional knowledge and respective motivational orientations in order to adequately prepare future teachers, a task that is particularly challenging as knowledge and motivational orientations mutually affect each other in their development (e.g., Möller, Retelsdorf, Köller, & Marsh, ).…”