1. Applying a Technological
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Framework in Ethiopian English
Language Teacher Education
Berhanu Abera(PhD)
Addis Ababa University
Lisbon, Portugal
July 2012
2. Content
• Introduction
• The Problem
• The Objective
• Research Methodology
• Results
• Implications
• Considerations for Future Research
3. Introduction
• There are clearly many knowledge systems that
are fundamental to teaching.
• Historically teacher education has been focused
on the content knowledge (Veal and MaKinster,
1999; Jimoyiannis, 2010).
• By the mid-1980s, the emphasis of teacher
training had swung almost completely toward
pedagogy(Shulman, 1986).
• Scholars also proposed the integration of content
and pedagogical knowledge in teacher training.
4. Introduction
• After the use of instructional technologies in the
teaching-learning process, scholar projected
knowledge of technology (technological knowledge).
• The advocators of such type of thought claim that new
technologies have changed the nature of the classroom
or have the potential to do so.
• It is upon this logic that the relatively new framework
of technological pedagogical content knowledge
(TPACK) is built, adding the new component of
technology to the mix (Mishra and Koehler, 2006; Cox,
2008; Schmidt et al, 2009).
8. Introduction
The components of the TPACK framework (taken from http://www.tpack.org/)
knowledge about actual
subject matter that is to
be learned or taught
CK refers to a person’s
understanding of the
concepts related to a specific
academic discipline
includes knowledge about
techniques or methods to be
employed in the classroom
deals with
the teaching
process
which
combines
pedagogy
and content
effectively
complex
interrelationship
b/n a teacher’s
technology use,
instructional
methods, and
understanding of
the subject
matter
it is an
amalgamation
of
technological
pedagogical
content
knowledge of
any
technological
based
instruction
9. The Problem
• In Ethiopia, an Education and Training Policy was
put in place in April 1994 to achieve the national
economic and social development goals of the
country (TGE, 1994)
• In line with the policy, Education Sector
Development Programs (ESDP I, II, III & IV) were
launched.
• Specifically, ESDP III and ESDP IV (the Ethiopian
national action plans on education), emphasize
the integration of ICT infrastructures to support
the country’s education system with ICT.
10. The Problem
• This involves installation of satellite receiving
devices known as Plasma Display Panels (PDPs) in
every classroom at secondary level, providing
personal computers to schools to set-up internet
laboratories, organizing training for teachers,
digitization of existing video-based educational
contents for web access and eventually
facilitating community access to ICT.
• In view of this, the process has started to make
use of the School Net service for secondary
schools since September 2004(MoE, 2005).
11. How the program is organized?
Intel-sat
Transmitting
Earth Station
(Outdoor Unit)
CEICT
Receiving
Earth Station
(Outdoor Unit)
Schl.
Receivers
(Co-ship)
Server
Satellite dish
CR
12. The Problem
• This is to mean that new initiatives have been in
place to improve the ‘quality’ of secondary
education by using ICT.
• However, the application of TPACK framework in
the country’s teacher education has been limited.
• This may be due to the fact that the framework
has not yet well known in the country or the
theoretical realm may not be clear since it has
largely entertained and assimilated with the
advocator of the term.
13. The Problem
• From experience, specifically, the researcher
understood that there are problems of practicing
the technology based secondary education
properly even though efforts have been made to
expand the program throughout the country.
• To fill this gap, the need for research to look into
the application of TPACK in Ethiopian teacher
education generally and English language
education particularly is, therefore, important as
no research has been done so far.
14. The Problem
• In doing so, the investigation attempts to answer
the following basic research questions:
1) What was the Ethiopian English language
teacher education program like?
2) What is the coverage of TPACK framework in the
teacher education program?
3) To what extent are secondary English language
teachers aware of the framework?
4) To what extent is TPACK framework applied in
the instructional technology based secondary
education?
15. The Objective
• The main objective of this study is to highlight
the application of TPACK in Ethiopian English
teacher education program by looking into the
existing literatures and by analyzing English
teachers’ knowledge and application of the
framework in their plasma–channeled lessons.
16. Research Methodology
• Literature works on Ethiopian teacher education in
general and English language teacher education in
particular was reviewed.
• Besides, documents (secondary school English
language teacher preparation syllabi; TESO and ‘Add-
on’ documents ; ICT4E policies) were assessed.
• Moreover, a structured questionnaire was distributed
to 30 experienced English language teachers who have
taught English via the plasma-channeled instruction ,
an interview was conducted, and 10 plasma-channeled
lessons were observed in order to look into the
application of TPACK.
17. Results
• As far as literature and research works in
Ethiopian teacher education and the syllabi
reviewed are concerned, content knowledge
as well as pedagogical knowledge was given
due attention.
• The respondents’ reactions also share this.
That is, the respondents indicated that they
have fundamental knowledge of content and
pedagogy.
18. Results
• Even though new initiatives have been made
using ICT for education and these technologies
have changed the nature of the classroom, the
teacher education programs in Ethiopia gave less
emphasis on technological pedagogical content
knowledge.
• The TPACK knowledge of classroom teachers who
taught English using a widely used instructional
technology (plasma TV) was found to be minimal.
19. Results
• The classroom observations, similarly, confirmed
that teachers have applied their pedagogical
content knowledge while teaching English
language through the televised instruction like
the conventional instruction. They seldom
observed applying their TPACK.
• That is, classroom English language teachers’
ability of teaching lessons that combine English
language contents, the plasma-based instruction
and teaching approaches appropriately was low.
20. Implications
• The idea of TPACK has significant implications for
teacher education programs.
• As there is something special and different about
teaching with technology than without
technology, it is necessary to educate the would-
be teachers the connections between technology,
content and pedagogy. In preparing teachers for
secondary schools of Ethiopia, a complete
approach be focused on the integration of these
three components of knowledge.
21. Implications
• The TPACK framework can guide the design of
courses concerned with technology integration as a
part of the new English teacher education programs.
• It is true that how the plasma-based instruction is
used to help students to learn English language is
different from how the medium is used to help
students to learn other subjects. This implies that the
TPACK framework has to be applied and included in
the subject area methodology courses of the would-
be secondary school English teachers.
22. Considerations for Future Research
• Though it is believed that this study has helped to
clarify the TPACK framework and served as a
bridge between Ethiopian teacher education
programs by introducing the framework, there
are remain areas that are yet unexplored or not
fully understood.
• That is, it would be extraordinarily important that
future studies should investigate TPACK with a
particular focus on pre-service teachers in-depth.
23. Considerations for Future Research
• What is more, since this study only be focused
on a single technological tool (plasma TV
instruction), further studies should be
conducted to investigate TPACK in contexts
where there is a wide variety of technological
tools available for teaching.
• Further studies can also be carried out to
investigate the TPACK framework in relation to
other subject areas.
25. INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF PHILOSOPHERS OF
EDUCATION (INPE)
13th BIENNIAL CONFERENCE
Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, August 15-18, 2012
CONFERENCE THEME
Passion, Commitment and Justice in Education
