Exploring Teachers\u27 Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) in an Online Course: A Mixed Methods Study

The constant expansion of Web 2.0 applications available on the World Wide Web and expansion of technology resources has prompted the need to better prepare current and future educators to make more effective use of such resources in their classrooms. The purpose of this embedded mixed methods case study was to describe the experiences and changes in technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) of a group of 14 American teachers of German as they participated in a one-semester online course, designed to teach them about how to use and incorporate useful Web 2.0 technologies in their language classrooms. The quantitative portion of the study included results from an online survey where teachers were asked to rate themselves in relationship to their TPACK expertise at the beginning, the end, and year after the culmination of the course. An analysis of data conducted using a matched pairs statistical design showed that there were significant positive changes in most areas from the pre to the post test. A survey conducted a year later, showed that the positive changes tended to remain, and in some cases improve. The qualitative portion of the study consisted of open-ended questions at the beginning, during, and the end of the course, a thorough analysis of the postings that participants submitted on the discussion board provided within the online course, as well as interviews with a sampling of participants. All interviews were conducted one year after completion of the course, and were transcribed, coded, and grouped into themes. Themes that emerged included the following topics: Sense of Accomplishment, Leadership, Realization, Student-Centered Instruction, and Problem Solving