Demonstrations of pedagogical content knowledge: Spanish Liberal Arts and Spanish Education majors' writing

Abstract

Second language teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is a sophisticated combination of pedagogical and content knowledge. This study explores the acquisition and articulation of PCK, highlighting the question of whether teacher education programs add to language teachers' knowledge base. Data was gathered using a performance assessment that incorporated teacher writing tasks in Spanish with a reflective paragraph to explain decisions made while writing. Areas of interest were language awareness, knowledge of effective teaching, and knowledge of learners. The study’s primary purpose is to reveal whether PCK differed in preservice Spanish teachers’ writing, as compared to Spanish Liberal Arts majors’ writing. Qualitative analysis revealed differing stages of PCK between the groups, suggesting teacher education’s influence on the preservice teachers’ performance.