A Narrative Inquiry On An Expert Middle School English Teacher’s TPACK Competence And Its Developing Process

Education informatics is becoming increasingly popular,and related studies and research have been ongoing for some time.Since its inception,the concept of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK)has been recognized as one of the most productive approaches to combining technological tools with traditional discipline education.Macro views,such as the TPACK ontology,cultivation tactics,measurements,teacher development,and the integration of IT and curriculum,have been the main focus of the scholarly investigation into TPACK theory.Existing literature indicates that greater focus and exploration are needed into the characteristics and development of expert teachers,who constitute a distinct subset of teachers in basic education.Therefore,in order to gain more insights related to teachers’knowledge structure and professional development,this study aims to investigate in depth the TPACK competence and development process of an expert English teacher in a junior high school through a qualitative narrative inquiry in order to reveal the evolution of his knowledge structure over the course of his career,which can also provide implications for other non-expert teachers’professional development as well as teacher education.The data collection process spanned more than two months and predominantly utilized the TPACK level self-measurement scale,participant and non-participant observations,semi-structured interviews,and documents and artifacts.Within the framework of narrative inquiry,this study employed a thematic analysis method and centered on the two research questions listed below.1.What is Jack’s current level of TPACK competence?2.What process did Jack undergo to develop his TPACK competence?The study indicated that:1)Jack’s TPACK competence was at the highest of the five stages-the advancing stage.He was capable of incorporating technology into English language classes and adapting the usage of technology to fit the unique needs of his students.He managed to deliberately and adaptively adjust curriculum and materials,and make critical assessments and informed decisions in the teaching process.2)Jack’s TPACK competence has evolved non-linearly over the course of his teaching career.In addition,there were two significant events in the process that enabled him to begin the development of TPACK and to make a qualitative leap in his conception of integrating technology.During the process,Jack showed robustly growing teacher agency,actively and extensively absorbing useful information,and continuously reflecting on and revising his use of technology.Meanwhile,he relied on the relationships and connectedness with both the teacher community and students while improving his TPACK competence.This study suggested that non-expert teachers could take the initiative to absorb all kinds of valuable information,experiment enthusiastically,reflect continuously,and pursue their information literacy and the development of integrated knowledge in an authentic educational milieu.What’s more,teacher educators should create authentic teaching scenarios,utilize significant events,and form teacher communities.Future research was suggested to continue to employ narrative inquiry as well as try to improve its trustworthiness to investigate in depth the TPACK competence of individuals in the education field.