A Study about the Level of a Teacher’s Content Knowledge, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Instructional Practices, and Demographics and Their Effects on Students’ Literacy Achievement

Abstract

It might be assumed that teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge affect student learning. However, most studies do not include observations of actual classroom instruction. This study provides empirical evidence that illustrates the significance of a teacher’s content knowledge; a teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge; instructional methods; a teacher’s demographic background; and what, if any, effects they have on students’ literacy achievement. This study was important because at this point in time, there was not any research that could be located that incorporated all these five areas. Teachers’ content knowledge, teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, and teachers’ demographic data were obtained from a survey instrument that was validated and conducted through the Reading Research Center that houses Path to Reading Excellence in School Sites (PRESS) with which the researcher was collaborating during this project. An observation instrument for the participating teachers was developed to obtain pedagogical content knowledge in the teachers’ natural setting. Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores were used to analyze students’ achievement scores. Evaluating data from students or teachers is always difficult. The researcher cannot tie a particular class data set to a teacher’s pedagogical contnet knowledge or content knowledge level because the make-up of that particular class might be one that is not motivated to succeed. Therefore, for this study, the researcher took the students as an entire grade level and also used their spring scores so that the students had the entire year to improve. The findings indicated that pedagogical content knowledge and content knowledge were related to student achievement and not instructional practices. This finding was definitely due to some outside variable that needs further research.