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. 2015 Jun 2:6:738.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00738. eCollection 2015.

Integrated learning: ways of fostering the applicability of teachers' pedagogical and psychological knowledge

Nora Harr  1 , Andreas Eichler  2 , Alexander Renkl  1
Affiliations

Integrated learning: ways of fostering the applicability of teachers' pedagogical and psychological knowledge

Nora Harr et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

In teacher education, general pedagogical and psychological knowledge (PPK) is often taught separately from the teaching subject itself, potentially leading to inert knowledge. In an experimental study with 69 mathematics student teachers, we tested the benefits of fostering the integration of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and general PPK with respect to knowledge application. Integration was fostered either by integrating the contents or by prompting the learners to integrate separately taught knowledge. Fostering integration, as compared to a separate presentation without integration help, led to more applicable PPK and greater simultaneous application of PPK and PCK. The advantages of fostering knowledge integration were not moderated by the student teachers' prior knowledge or working memory capacity. A disadvantage of integrating different knowledge types referred to increased learning times.

Keywords: experimental design; general pedagogical/psychological knowledge; instructional design; pedagogical content knowledge; teacher education.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Overview of the procedures of the three experimental conditions.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Illustration of how integration of contents was achieved in the different integration conditions.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Screenshot of a mathematics-classroom scenario from the post-test (translated from German). The student teachers completed this task individually. Different elements should be combined in accordance with the principles taught in the preceding learning environment(s).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Screenshot of a mathematics-classroom scenario from the post-test (translated from German). Student teachers were asked to combine the elements in accordance with the taught principles of the learning environment(s).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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