Fostering Knowledge Facets of the TPACK Framework

To prepare pre-service teachers for the multiple requirements of their future math teaching within the digital age, they need to develop all facets of knowledge mentioned in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to enhance their digital competences. Research has shown that teachers learn to use technology by designing educational technologies for authentic use while activating and extending their knowledge regarding the interplay of technology, pedagogy, and content. In this study, 58 pre-service primary and secondary teachers from three German universities created and evaluated their own digital mathematical escape games (DIMEG) within a seminar. Since it has scarcely been researched how the design process of DIMEG addresses pre-service teachers’ technological, pedagogical and content knowledge, this study aims to investigate their subjectively reported learnings and challenges. For this, an online-based questionnaire with four open-ended items on their learnings and five open-ended items on the encountered challenges during the design process allowed them to reflect on their knowledge and skill development. All 471 answers were categorized by applying qualitative content analysis. Results indicate most learnings in the pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), technological knowledge (TK), and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK).