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STEM Education

2026, Volume 6, Issue 1: 84-108. doi: 10.3934/steme.2026005
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The influence of professional teacher development programmes on physical science teachers' content knowledge and practical skills in mechanics and electromagnetism

  • 1.
    Department of Continuous Professional Teacher Development, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa; zbmndela@yahoo.com
  • 2.
    Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa; sboateng@wsu.ac.za
  • Published: 03 February 2026

  • We focused on the effectiveness of Professional Teacher Development Programmes (PTDPs) on physical science teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), integrated with practical skills in teaching mechanics and electromagnetism in one education district. This study was framed within the PCK and Andragogy as theoretical lenses. The interpretivist paradigm was employed. We focused on individual teachers' experiences, how these experiences were applied in their teaching practices, their engagement with the PTDPs, and how such programmes could be reshaped to enhance physical science teachers' professional growth. Purposeful sampling was used to engage eight physical sciences teachers from eight schools who attended these programmes. Data were collected through interviews and classroom observations. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The teachers reported perceived improvements in their PCK, while practical skills received less attention due to limited resources and limited time for practical activities. Teachers also reported the urgency of integrating content with practical activities and of aligning these programmes with their term-by-term annual teaching plans (ATPs). Based on the participants' accounts, this study suggests that PTDPs should be strategically designed to deepen physical science teachers' PCK and enhance their practical teaching skills in all challenging concepts in the subject.

    Citation: Zimasile Bongani Mndela, Sakyiwaa Boateng. The influence of professional teacher development programmes on physical science teachers' content knowledge and practical skills in mechanics and electromagnetism[J]. STEM Education, 2026, 6(1): 84-108. doi: 10.3934/steme.2026005

    Related Papers:

  • We focused on the effectiveness of Professional Teacher Development Programmes (PTDPs) on physical science teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), integrated with practical skills in teaching mechanics and electromagnetism in one education district. This study was framed within the PCK and Andragogy as theoretical lenses. The interpretivist paradigm was employed. We focused on individual teachers' experiences, how these experiences were applied in their teaching practices, their engagement with the PTDPs, and how such programmes could be reshaped to enhance physical science teachers' professional growth. Purposeful sampling was used to engage eight physical sciences teachers from eight schools who attended these programmes. Data were collected through interviews and classroom observations. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The teachers reported perceived improvements in their PCK, while practical skills received less attention due to limited resources and limited time for practical activities. Teachers also reported the urgency of integrating content with practical activities and of aligning these programmes with their term-by-term annual teaching plans (ATPs). Based on the participants' accounts, this study suggests that PTDPs should be strategically designed to deepen physical science teachers' PCK and enhance their practical teaching skills in all challenging concepts in the subject.



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  • Author's biography Mr Zimasile Bongani Mndela is a Master of Science Education candidate at the Department of Continuous Professional Teacher Development, Faculty of Education, Walter Sisulu University. Zimasile was a former subject advisor for physical sciences in the Eastern Cape Department of Education. He is passionate about teacher professional development, particularly focusing on aspects that enhance teachers' pedagogical content knowledge; Dr. Sakyiwaa Boateng is a Senior Lecturer for Physics Education at the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, within the Faculty of Education, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa. She specialised in Physics Education. Her research interests include enhancing learner performance in science and teacher professional development, particularly examining the affective aspects that teachers consider essential for making teaching a worthwhile profession. She is also looking at breaking down the disjunction between science and culture, and focusing on 21st-century teaching, science education, and teacher training. Her current research focuses on Mathematics and Science anxiety, and she is investigating interventions to build resilience in mathematics and science among pre-service science teachers and high school science learners
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