A Research On The Deficiency Of M.Ed In English Candidates In TPACK

With the development of educational informatization,technology has played a pivotal role in promoting the reform of education and improving the quality of education.As practitioners of teaching,teachers must master and enhance technology ability,connect it with pedagogical content knowledge,and practice them into classroom teaching in order to improve teaching quality.Based on Shulman's idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge(PCK),American scholars Punya Mishra and Mattew J.Koehler(2005)put forward Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK),which is made of seven knowledge domains: Technology Knowledge(TK),Content Knowledge(CK),Pedagogical Knowledge(PK),Pedagogical Content Knowledge(PCK),Technological Content Knowledge(TCK),Technological Pedagogical Knowledge(TPK)and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK).TPACK aims at describing the knowledge required for teaching in the digital age,and emphasizing the connections among TK,PK and CK.The presence of TPACK has been the highlight of research at home and abroad.However,there are little research about TPACK of Master of Education in English candidates at home.As preservice English teachers,M.Ed in English candidates(hereinafter referred to as M.Ed candidates)are required to have a good command of TPACK to have effective teaching.So it is very important to do research about M.Ed candidates' TPACK.Built on Punya Mishra and Mattew J.Koehler's TPACK Scale,this research formed a TPACK questionnaire to do a survey about TPACK of M.Ed candidates in Shanxi Normal University.There are three research questions:(1)What is the general level of M.Ed candidates' TPACK?(2)What are the deficiencies that M.Ed candidates have with their TPACK?(3)What are the factors which have caused the deficiencies of M.Ed candidates' TPACK?Through questionnaire,the mean score of M.Ed candidates' TPACK is 120.5,accounting for 70.88% of the total score,which means that the general level of M.Ed candidates' TPACK is at a moderate level.In CK,M.Ed candidates' ability in English thinking is not satisfactory,and their knowledge and ability in English need to be further improved.In TK,M.Ed candidates have mastered basic skills of technology,but their technology knowledge is not enough to adapt to various changes in English education in information age.In TPACK,they lack the ability to effectively integrate technology,content and pedagogy in English teaching.Through interview,the mastery of knowledge of seven dimensions,teaching practice and exemplary role of teachers have vital influence on the development of their TPACK.