The Effects of Teacher Content Authoring on TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) and on Student Achievement in Algebra: Research on Instruction With the TI-Nspire Handheld

• In Event: Education Technology, Teacher Knowledge, and Classroom Impact: Frameworks and Approaches to Research

Abstract

Objectives

We describe a study of a year-long PD program provided to four teachers teaching integrated algebra in a New York City public school. We addressed two research questions: (1) To what extent is a designed model of PD in which teachers author original materials that integrate TI-Nspire technology associated with changes in teachers’ TPACK levels as measured by external assessment of teaching artifacts (lesson plans and TI-Nspire documents) and observed behaviors (classroom teaching and PD presentations)? (2) Is there a relationship between a teacher’s TPACK level and student achievement?

Theoretical Framework(s)

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) describes the body of knowledge that teachers need for teaching with technology in their assigned subject areas (such as mathematics) and grade levels. TPACK is identified with knowledge that relies on the interconnection and intersection of content, pedagogy (teaching and student learning), and technology. The framework must be viewed as constituting more than a set of multiple domains of knowledge and skills that teachers require for teaching their students particular subjects at specific grade levels. Rather, TPACK defines a way of thinking that integrates the multiple domains of knowledge of mathematics, pedagogy and technology.

Method(s)

Four integrated algebra teachers from a New York City public high school volunteered to participate in the study. A One-Group Time Series design was used to analyze changes in teachers’ TPACK level. Student achievement data (N=67) were compared using a 4x1 ANOVA design.

Data Sources

Three types of data are used in research to assess teachers’ TPACK: self-report (via interviews, surveys, and other generated documents such as reflective journal entries); observed behavior (via observations protocols, narratives, etc.); and teaching artifacts (via lesson plans, curriculum materials, etc.). Since teacher knowledge is typically reflected through actions, statements, and artifacts, rather than being directly observable, instruments and techniques that assist the assessment of teachers’ TPACK should provide ways for assessors to discern the dimensions and extent of teachers’ TPACK in systematic, reliable, valid ways. Since teachers’ stated pedagogical beliefs do not always align with their instructional practices (Lawless, & Pellegrino, 2007), external assessment of those practices and their artifacts, correlated with the contents of teachers’ self-reports, should help by inference to better understand the nature of their TPACK.

Results

Results indicated: (1) Teachers’ TPACK scores for written artifacts paralleled those of PD presentations; (2) The classroom teaching was either at the same level or lower than written artifacts; (3) Teachers did not improve with every lesson they developed; instead, their scores vacillated within the two or three lower TPACK levels; and, (4) The students taught by the teachers with higher TPACK level had higher average score on the NYS Regents exam and higher passing rates.

Significance

This presentation presents an example of mixed methods research that relied heavily on reliability and validity evidence as multiple data sources were examined. The resultant observation rubric offers future researchers a robust tool for measuring teacher TPACK as evidenced by behaviors in the classroom and lesson plans.

Authors

• Irina Lyublinskaya, College of Staten Island - CUNY

• Eleni Tournaki, College of Staten Island - CUNY