Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) through an enriched teacher education program: cases of four Iranian pre-service EFL teachers

ABSTRACT Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has been extensively studied in science teacher education. However, scant research attention within the domain of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) has been paid to teachers’ PCK. With an interpretive qualitative design, the present study aimed to investigate whether pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ PCK could be developed through an enriched teacher education program in the Iranian context. The program, including 12 sessions for increasing four teachers’ knowledge of strategies, students, and curriculum, was enriched by providing the teachers with opportunities to present the content through effective strategies, reflect on teaching practices through viewing videos, and receive mentoring. The data were gathered through video-stimulated recall, semi-structured interview, field notes, and classroom observation. After qualitative data analysis, five major themes emerged. The findings indicated that enriched teacher education programs could help pre-service EFL teachers reflect on their pedagogical practices and develop their PCK; however, these programs would not be sufficient. In addition, analysing the observational data indicated that enriched teacher education programs could mainly influence pre-service EFL teachers’ knowledge of teaching strategies as one of the main subareas of PCK. Finally, pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research are offered.