An Investigation of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) of Pre-service English Teachers: A Case Study

This research attempts to investigate the perceptions of pre-service EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers studying in the English Language department in the University of Duhok, regarding their Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). It also aims to explore their perceptions about how well the program they attend to contributes to their TPACK, as well as the suggestions of the pre-service EFL teachers and the instructors of the department for further development of pre-service teachers’ TPACK. The study has followed a mixed-methods approach utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data. For the quantitative data, Başer et al.’s (2016) TPACK-EFL survey has been used to gather data from 72 pre-service teachers (46 male and 26 female). To achieve the aims of the study and answer its questions, qualitative data were gathered through interviews conducted with ten pre-service teachers and five instructors. The results of the study have demonstrated the participating pre-service teachers’ agreement on possessing quite a bit of all seven TPACK components. When each component of TPACK is considered, the most important components were found to be Content Knowledge (CK) and the least important one was Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). When looked at from the ‘gender’ perspective, the study findings reveal that female participants claim the possession of Content Knowledge (CK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) more than their male counterparts. Male participants, on the other hand, were found to have the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) more than female participants, based on their responses to the survey. The findings showed no significant differences between respondents according to their age toward dealing with the TK, CK, PK, PCK, TCK, TPK, and TPACK. Regarding how well the program at the University of Duhok helped the pre-service teachers develop their TPACK, the results indicated that the contribution of the department is usually limited with some tools such as PowerPoint used in class presentations. The participants highlighted the need for more focused training not only for the pre-service teachers but also for the instructors in order to enhance the abilities, skills, and technology awareness of the pre-service teachers. Keywords: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Pre-service Teachers of English, University of Duhok