A Study On Pedagogical Content Knowledge Construction Of College Business English Teachers In China

Research on Pedagogical Content Knowledge(PCK)began in the 1980s.It is one of the core research fields of teacher knowledge,which determines and affects teachers' teaching quality.Mathematics and science are the most mature subjects in the study of PCK.Some studies also focus on foreign language teachers.However,few studies focus on business English teachers and explore how their PCK develops.This study focuses on college business English teachers who are currently engaged in business English teaching in China.The research questions are as follows:1)What are the key elements of college business English teachers' PCK in China?2)What are the influencing factors of college business English teachers' PCK in China?3)How do college business English teachers in China construct their PCK?In view of the above-mentioned research questions,this research adopts a mixed-method approach.It employs both the "sequential-explanatory" and"sequential-exploratory" research designs,referring to the "concurrent-triangulation research design" rationale.Data analysis and description follow the sequence of individual level to the group level and then back to the individual level to answer three research questions.Specifically,aiming at research questions 1 and 2,the questionnaire is designed on the basis of the pilot research(interview,concept map and classroom observation).After the author conducts the pilot study,the questionnaire is revised accordingly.By analyzing effective responses from 201 participants using SPSS software,the author determines key elements and the main dimensions of the influencing factors of PCK.According to the results of in-depth interviews,the connotation characteristics of each element and the relationship between them are described in detail,and the results of the influencing factors are explained.In response to question 3,the author conducts in-depth interviews with four different types of business English teachers,and asks them to draw mind maps in order to depict the constructing path in different career development stages of their PCK in a comprehensive and meticulous wayIt is found that the connotation of business English teachers' PCK includes four elements,namely Knowledge of Contextualized Objectives,Knowledge of Teachers and Students,Knowledge of Instructional Strategies and Knowledge of the Integration of Content and Language.Among them,"Knowledge of the Integration of Content and Language" and "Knowledge of Instructional Strategies" are explicit areas of knowledge,which are easy to observe,perceive and become strong demand for teachers."Knowledge of Teachers and Students" and "Knowledge of Contextualized Objectives" are tacit areas of knowledge,which are often difficult to observe and perceive.Therefore,teachers usually begin to pay attention to tacit knowledge after they master explicit knowledge to satisfy their teaching needs.The four elements influence each other and are closely related to each other in business English teaching.There is a high positive correlation between "Knowledge of Instructional Strategies"and "Knowledge of Teachers and Students" while there is a moderate positive correlation between the other elements.Each element corresponds to cognition,communication,cooperation and content,which are combined together to form business English teachers' PCnK.Specifically,"Knowledge of Contextualized Objectives" reflects teachers' different perceptions of business English teaching and learning;"Knowledge of Teachers and Students" highlights the constant dialogue and communication between teachers and students inside and outside the classroom."Knowledge of Instructional Strategies" emphasizes mutual understanding and cooperation among teachers and students.The core part of "Knowledge of the Integration of Content and Language" is the interdisciplinary content knowledge used in business English teaching.The influencing factors of business English teachers' PCK include internal and external factors.The internal factors contain the ability to gather interdisciplinary knowledge,the cognition toward business English teaching and learning and the sense of professional identity in business English teaching.The external factors contain business English teachers' academic development environment and the practice of their professional development.The results of multiple regression show that three dimensions of internal factors have a significant positive influence on key elements of PCK,while the external factors have a relatively weak influence on PCK,that is,the internal factors play a more important role in the formation of teachers' PCK while the effect of the external factors on the formation of PCK is weaker.The teachers'perception of the external factors is negative because of the unsatisfactory effect It can be seen that the elements listed in external factors still have a lot of room for adjustment and improvement.The generating path of business English teachers' PCK is not only related to their perception of the strong and weak needs of tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge in different PCK elements,but also to the transformation process from theoretical knowledge to practical knowledge in specific contexts.It also reflects individual differences,which are related to teachers' cognition toward business English teaching and learning.Teachers' cognition is influenced by their educational backgrounds,work experience,as well as the sociocultural setting(such as schools,classes,family backgrounds).Therefore,each teacher experiences career stages differently.Generally speaking,the generating path of business English teachers' PCK begins with the individual level and then to the group level and finally back to the individual level,that is to say,based on respective needs or concerns of individuals,different social networks are constructed and different mediators are formed,thus generating PCK used in business English teaching context.Based on the above findings,this study proposes that the complete PCK-based career development stages including confusion,adaptation,engagement,identity,agency and advancement.This allows teachers to choose appropriate social networks according to their career development stages and categories,then develop their own PCK and ultimately promote their career development.In addition,this study analyzes the needs and paths of PCK construction in different stages of teachers'career development,which is helpful for teacher educators and policy makers to set up courses and policies accordingly which are conducive to teachers' professional development.