Pre-service Teachers' Perception towards Professional Courses and The Efficacy of Subject Methodology Courses in Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Abstract

One hundred eight (76 novice student teachers and 32 students
with teaching experience) students' perception toward the clarity, relevance,
enjoyment, and workload of professional courses, and the adequacy of seven
departments' subject methodology courses in developing pedagogical content
knowledge were examined through questionnaire, inte/view and document
analysis, percentage, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, t-test, Tukey
honestly significant difference. (HSD), One-way repeated measure ANOVA
and qualitative analysis were used to analyze data. Results revealed that
students' overall perception toward professional courses was neutral. But
statistically significant difference was observed in students' rating of the four
dimensions. Students opted for the clarity and low pressure (workload) of
professional courses while they remained neutral about relevance and
enjoyment. Yet, when students' perception of relevance was compared with
enjoyment, a statistically significant difference was observed in favor of
relevance. Students with teaching expen'ence rated higlJer than students with
out ·teaching experience on the clarity and relevance of professional courses
though the difference in the latter was not statistically significant. Students
observation of what instructors in the faculty were (Ioing and t/1e role
professional courses had in the curriculum of teacher education were found to
be major reference points for students in explaming their perception of
professional courses relevance and enjoyment ratller than tl1e inherent
characteristics of these courses. The development of pedagogical content
knowledge looked to suffer heavily, except Amharic and English depat1ments,
as the contents of subject methodology courses unnecessarily emphasized
general professional knowledge with little or non-inclusion of pedagogical
content knowledge. One obvious distinguishing factor between Amharic and
English departments and the remaining departments was the kind of training of
instructors.