This paper reports on topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) enacted by three pre-service science teachers during their final year school-based internship. An interpretive, qualitative case study was conducted to investigate to what extent the pre-service teachers applied the knowledge taught during a preceding physical science method…

This study focuses on how teachers learn to teach a new topic and the role played by their developing content knowledge as they teach. The paper is based on seven high school science teachers' studies on the teaching of semiconductors, at the time a new topic in the curriculum. Analysis of artefacts such as teacher concept maps, video recordings…

In science education, learner-centred classroom practices are widely accepted as desirable and are associated with responsive and reformed kinds of teacher beliefs. They are further associated with high-quality Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK), a version of PCK defined at topic level, is…

The challenge of teaching new subject matter is a familiar one for most teachers. This paper investigates the content knowledge gains made by seven teachers as they learn to teach the topic of semiconductors through a process of self-study. "Semiconductors" is a new topic in the curriculum which looks at the sub-microscopic properties of…

Explores the Competency Tripod model and flow diagrams as two sources for enabling students' metacognition in a second year undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Results indicate that all four students engaged in metacognitive practices, all believed that flow diagrams are extremely useful, and all understood the Competency Tripod model, but only…

Reports on an investigation of the status of procedural knowledge in chemistry among students entering into bridging programs at two South African universities. Findings show that students overall tend to repeat in order to get a recurring reading. Very few students were able to use a line of best fit for a set of graphical data. Discusses…

Investigates changes in students' understanding of various aspects of measurement before and after participating in two different introductory laboratory courses at two universities in South Africa. Considerable gains were made during instruction with both groups, though some important differences were identified between them. Neither group could…