Affective and Professional Knowledge Components: An Assessment of their Association and Implication in Primary School Mathematics Teacher Education

Abstract

The competence of pre-service teachers at teacher education colleges is at stake in Ethiopia where some are attributed to knowledge dimensions and the other to affective dimensions. This Study assessed the association between the knowledge dimensions and affective components pre-service teachers should possess by employing a correlational survey design and indicating implications. A sample was drawn from nine colleges of teacher education (CTE) which was selected using stratified sampling.  Those selected regions that have only one CTE were selected based on availability sampling. The Study employed questionnaires with five-point Likert scale-type questions. Factor analysis followed by correlational analysis was conducted to reduce data. As a result, the seven knowledge components of technological pedagogical content knowledge were significantly correlated among each other. The three affective component variables were also significantly correlated. The aggregate of knowledge and affective variables were found to have a significant correlation with around 42% of common variance. Despite these, the primary and secondary factor loadings were extracted. The Study result indicates a strong association between knowledge and affective components. Thus, it has been recommended that the capacity of teacher educators should be enhanced and a teacher education program that fulfills both ends to meet the demands for teacher knowledge for teaching and concerned bodies should be developed. Also, attention should be given to enhancing affective constructs through integrating content, pedagogy, and technology beyond the usual knowledge related concerns.