An Investigation of Pre-Service English Teachers’ Self- Efficacy in Web Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify pre-service English teachers’ selfefficacyin web pedagogical content knowledge. The Web Pedagogical ContentKnowledge (WPCK) is valuable in comparison to other technology-based models(e.g. TPACK) as it offers a holistic approach by integrating content knowledge withweb knowledge specifically rather than focusing on technology in general. Thesample of this study consists of 110 pre-service English teachers studying at twostate universities in Istanbul and Sakarya, Turkey in the academic year of 2018-2019. The data was collected through “The Scale of Web Pedagogical ContentKnowledge” developed by Lee, Tsai and Chang (2008) and adapted into Turkish byHorzum (2011). The data was analyzed through SPSS and the variables university,grade, gender, daily amount of time spent on the internet and social media wereconsidered in addition to identifying participants’ competence levels. The findingsdemonstrate that the participants have a high level (‘I totally agree’) of self-efficacyin the five sub-dimensions of WPCK. Out of the variables, only grade is observed tohave a significant effect while university, gender, daily amount of time spent on theinternet and daily amount of time spent on social networks are observed to have ano significant effect on self-efficacy levels. The analysis offers insights into preserviceteachers’ competence and self-efficacy in the use of web for pedagogy,content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and the integration of them. Thefindings of this study are expected to contribute to pre-service teacher training andthe successful integration of the web into content knowledge for pedagogicpurposes.