TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATION AS CORELLATES OF PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF CHEMISTRY TEACHERS

Abstract

The study investigated the teaching experience and qualification as predictors of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Chemistry Teachers in Anambra State, South East Nigeria. Seven research questions guided the study, the sample of the study consisted of all four hundred (400) chemistry teachers in the state. The study measured the Pedagogical Content Knowledge of chemistry teachers in terms of ‘knowledge of subject matter’, ‘knowledge of the instructional strategies’ and ‘knowledge of the curriculum’. Related literatures were reviewed. The research design was a correlation survey design study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The instrument was validated by two experts. Using Cronbach Alpha, the reliability coefficient was found to be 0.83. The data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Simple Regression Analysis. The study found out that
years of teaching experience and academic qualification accounted for the pedagogical content knowledge level of chemistry teachers. Based on the findings, the researchers recommend that academic qualification of teachers should be considered while employing teachers who teach chemistry in public secondary schools and new teachers should be given training that has practical classroom relevance to boost their experience in teaching the subject matter.