An Investigation Of English Teachers' Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge In Vocational High School

With the rapid development of information technology in all kinds of fields,the use of information technology in education field is becoming wider and wider.Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge(TPACK),which was put forward by Mr Mishra and koehler based on the concept of Shulman's Pedagogical Content Knowledge(PCK)in 2006,came into being in such context.Foreign scholars have conducted extensive researches on this theory.In recent years,relevant researches in China are also increasing.In addition,the development of vocational education is also rapid,and the country has attached great importance to it.Based on these aspects,this paper will investigate the TPACK of English teachers in vocational high schools.The paper chooses 70 English teachers in vocational high school from country towns in the area of Shuozhou,Shanxi Province as the participants.It uses the questionnaire,classroom observation and interview to carry out the research.The research mainly focuses on three research questions: 1.what is the current situation of English teachers' TPACK in vocational high school? 2.Are there any differences in English teachers' TPACK in vocational high school based on different background factors(gender,educational level,teaching experience,teachers' title,whether to attend the training class)? 3.What are the factors resulting in the current situation of English teachers' TPACK in vocational high school?Based on the comprehensive analysis from questionnaires,interview and classroom observation,the study comes to the following conclusions: 1.In general,the mean values of the four technology-related dimensions are lower than that of the three non-technology-related dimensions,so English teachers' TK in vocational high school has great room for improvement.2.The gender of English teachers and whether they have attended training have no effect on their TPACK level,but their educational level,teachers' title and teaching experience have a significant impact on their TPACK level.3.The factors resulting in the current situation of English teachers' TPACK can be grouped into four categories: Firstly,the gap between educational idea and educational practice.Secondly,the backwardness of hardware and software facilities in vocational high schools.Thirdly,the training for in-service teachers cannot keep pace with the development of society.Fourthly,the deficiency of teachers' own consciousness.Based on the conclusions above,the author puts forward relevant suggestions from three aspects to improve the TPACK level of English teachers in vocational high school in Shuozhou,Shanxi Province,namely,education administration department,school and teachers themselves,hoping to provide some references for the development of education in this area:1.Relevant departments of education should strengthen the learning of in-service teachers and provide them with more opportunities to participate in training,so as to ensure that in-service teachers can follow the development of the society.2.The school should improve its hardware and software facilities,provide technical support for teachers' teaching and provide more opportunities for teachers to participate in training and exchange learning and teaching experience with each other.3.Teachers themselves should actively learn new theories,establish the idea of lifelong learning,take part in more training and apply them in teaching practice so as to gradually improve themselves.