The following developments were noticeable and emerged from data analysis: 1) many learners were writing their responses in English; 2) more learners had the scientific model; 3) correct, scientific reasons were given for the size and direction of electric current in a series connection; 4) string analogy is a contextually appropriate analogy which simplifies abstract concepts of DC.
Results on the PDI give an overall positive picture where teachers had benefited from the intervention by summarising the views about the critical features of the professional development. The study can claim success on the improvement in terms of analogy understanding as both teachers indicated that they have gained new knowledge which they can they apply in their classes after the professional development initiative. The success of the professional development is evident in the case of the experienced teacher who initially had no knowledge of analogies but ventured further to analyse other analogies presented in new books.
The success or failure of the professional development has been viewed against the critical features proposed by Desimone (2009), discussed in Chapter Five of the study. One of the critical factors of professional development which have emerged from the study is the important role played by the development of the content focus. The study has shown that although the unqualified teacher understood the analogy and actively participated during the presentation, she was not confident to teach the lesson. The important role of subject content knowledge should not be underplayed as shown by the unqualified teacher‟s post-test views that „I felt I did not have
enough knowledge as I was not a science teacher‟.
The ability to understand how to use analogies is shown by the experienced teacher who made a comparison in terms of concept mapping; comparing an analogy found in the new curriculum Natural Sciences books in terms of its effective base and target mapping. After evaluating the newly found textbook analogy, the teacher still
preferred the string analogy as an appropriate analogy for the learners residing in this area and she felt she had “gained sufficient confidence to present lessons in simple
circuits”.
What can also be gleaned from the results is that although professional development seems to be ideal for developing teachers‟ skills, the duration of such professional development plays a critical role in preparing the teachers sufficiently for effective teaching. As far as the PDI on subject content knowledge is concerned; both teachers were still lacking in using correct simple circuit terminology in their teaching. For example, the qualified teacher was still using incorrect terms like “atoms” instead of “electrons” while teaching the lesson after the professional development. Equally so, the unqualified teacher felt insecure and did not attempt to teach the lesson after the PDI as she declared that she lacked sufficient content knowledge in simple circuits. Overall, a short period has a negative impact because it cannot provide sufficient PCK to teachers who lack basic subject content knowledge in the subject; like the unqualified science teacher.
Another important aspect is the duration of the professional development where a shorter period is not regarded as sufficient by the teachers to adequately prepare them for effective teaching using analogies. Basic to teacher development is the need to first develop the subject matter adequately before developing the PCK. With regard to the experienced teacher, the time span of the PDI also presented some challenges pertaining to correct scientific terminology. In analogies, the qualified teacher progressed effortlessly as she could understand how the analogy works. However, the teacher could not adequately link subject content with the analogue concepts. In other words, the teacher was unable to link the base concept to the target concept although she had sufficient subject content knowledge as an experienced science teacher.
What can be gathered from the study is that there was an improvement after the professional development initiative as teachers initially did not know analogies but after PDI; they knew them and the qualified teacher ventured further to analyse other analogies presented in new books. However, the short period of the professional development did not cover sufficiently all the aspects of TSPCK required by the
teachers; proof that the duration is one of the core features of professional development. Findings of the study also reveal that initially both teachers were not confident about teaching simple circuits and requested help but now the experienced teacher was confident about teaching the lesson and selecting an appropriate analogy for the learners. The confidence of the qualified teacher indicated that she has developed a higher level of self-efficacy compared to that of the unqualified teacher as she persisted in to perform the task that was agreed upon, that is; teach the learners with the chosen appropriate analogy (Chularat & DeBacker, 2004; Zimmerman et al., 1992). As an indication of the success of the PDI, at the end of PDI the experienced science teacher came out confident enough to teach the lesson even in the school of the unqualified teacher.
I believe that the enthusiasm shown by the qualified teacher by comparing analogies in new textbooks indicated increased knowledge and growing confidence in her topic specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK). As highlighted in Chapter Four of the study, I believe that a weakness in the medium of teaching (English in this instance) raises a contentious issue concerning the role of the educator as an expert in the science classroom (Schneider & Plasman, 2011). However, the qualified teacher seems to have reasonably become more sophisticated in her thinking over the period she was involved in the professional development, including the time she collaborated with her peers in the planning of the abridged lesson guide (Schneider & Plasman, 2011). In essence, the qualified teacher was progressing incrementally from novice to expert performance as her teaching skills (in terms of analogy knowledge) were becoming more sophisticated.
Finally, the transformation from theory to practice or from espoused PCK to enacted PCK does not proceed automatically. There are many factors that may influence this developmental trajectory (Heritage, 2008), such as time, the teacher‟s initial content knowledge and the teacher‟s self-efficacy. Although some improvement was detected in the enacted PCK of the qualified teacher (T1), the improvement was short-lived. During the first instructional implementation of the TWA strategy after undergoing the professional development she reverted to her familiar teaching style of informing or telling the learners about the analogy instead of implementing the
learner-centred teaching strategy required, making the analogy effective in assisting the learners to learn the abstract concepts.
The analogy cannot be successful if it is not linked to a teaching strategy that focuses on conceptual understanding (Mavhunga & Rollnick, 2013). The short-lived nature of the improvement may be a consequence of many issues. For example, research incorporated in Desimone‟s framework shows that teachers‟ personal characteristics such as their prior (subject) knowledge influence their individual learning pathway. This was clearly evident in the learning pathways of both the participating teachers. The unqualified teacher‟s (T2) lack of content knowledge prevented her from even attempting teaching the electricity concepts, while the qualified teacher on the surface seemed to have developed enacted PCK, which in the end broke down when she reverted to the direct teaching strategy and the use of incorrect terminology.
6.6 Chapter summary
The chapter presented the implementation of the professional development. What has emerged from the professional development is, more emphasis should be on content focus as a strategy that can develop teacher confidence and self-efficacy. On the learner component, teachers should use contextually appropriate analogies critically to ensure that learners achieve the desired results and adhere to the mapping criteria to ensure that learners understand what has been presented. The next chapter presents recommendations and implications of the study in future.