Preservice Agricultural Education Teachers’ Experiences inand Anticipation of Content Knowledge Preparation

摘要

This study explored the experiences of preservice agriculture teachers in content knowledgepreparation for pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development. The researchers employed aphenomenological approach in which six preservice teachers were interviewed the semester priorto student teaching. The researchers found there was general dissatisfaction with the majority ofagriculture content courses among preservice teachers in terms of quality, quantity, andtransferability of content. Interest in agriculture content areas, their views of expertise, and whatthey want their students to gain from their teaching were found to be possible influencersaffecting the PCK development of preservice agriculture teachers. These findings provide supportfor further research to explore gaps in content knowledge and the professions’ understanding ofPCK development in novice agriculture teachers. Recommendations include considering ways toincorporate content knowledge in pedagogy courses or working with content faculty ondeveloping assignments to help preservice teachers learn content in meaningful ways.