Examining Trajectories Of Secondary School Novice English Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

With the wide application of educational technology in foreign language teaching,foreign language teachers’ ability to integrate technology and subject teaching has become a hot topic of research.Since 2005,the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK)framework has provided a new perspective for the improvement of teachers’ technological competence and their professional development.However,current academic research on secondary school English teachers’ TPACK were mostly cross-sectional in research design and lacked longitudinal studies.While the teachers’ TPACK development is a dynamic process,longitudinal studies can better understand the development of teachers’ TPACK and the problems they encounter in the process of development,and then put forward targeted opinions.To fill the gaps in the current study,this study asks the following questions: 1.What are the developmental trajectories of novice secondary English teachers’ TPACK? 2.What are the causes that affect novice secondary English teachers’ TPACK development? Using scales adapted from Archambault and Crippen(2009)and Schmidt et al.(2009),this study investigated changes in novice secondary English teachers’ TPACK development at one-month intervals,and the data were analyzed by developing an unconditional latent variable growth model using Mplus 7.4 software.After each questionnaire survey,semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with eight junior high school English teachers who participated in the study,and materials such as teachers’ teaching reflections were combined to explore the reasons for the developmental changes in secondary school novice English teachers’ TPACK,the problems they encountered,and effective strategies.The results of the questionnaire indicated that the TPACK of novice secondary school English teachers generally showed a positive upward trend during four months of the new term.Specifically,PK,CK,TPK,TCK,and TPACK in TPACK showed significant upward developmental trends,but the developmental changes in TK and PCK did not reach significant levels.Semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight novice middle school English teachers revealed that teachers’ digital nativity,group lesson planning,teacher training,self-directed learning,and colleague assistance contributed to novice middle school English teachers’ TPACK development.The difficulties teachers encountered in TPACK development included novice teachers’ insufficient subject matter pedagogical knowledge(PCK),lack of attention to technology and teacher training,and teachers’ perceived burnout.To address these three major issues,this paper offers targeted recommendations for English teachers and educational administrators,respectively.In summary,this study demonstrates the dynamic trajectory of TPACK changes within a new semester for novice secondary English teachers,enriches the understanding of TPACK theory,provides references for English teacher education and training in China,and offers suggestions for the development of relevant English education technology policies.