The Pedagogical Content Knowledge Development during Practicum: A Case Study of Preservice English Teachers in Korea

Examining the experiences of three preservice English teachers during their practicum, this qualitative case study aimed to shed light on how the practicum experience is closely connected to the development of the teachers’ pedagogi-cal content knowledge (PCK), thereby promoting their professional development. Data were gathered from a pre-practicum essay, weekly web logs, reflection papers, interviews, and email correspondence, and analyzed qualitatively. The findings illustrate that the practicum provided a site for preservice teachers to engage in the recurring process of pedagogical reason-ing, action, and reflection, through which they were afforded new learning opportunities, and were able to improve their peda-gogical competence. Endeavoring to make their classes accessible to students, the preservice teachers not only incorporated numerous instructional strategies but also learned the importance of teachers’ pedagogical decision-making during teaching. The findings further demonstrate that teaching the same lesson consecutively in different classes was influential in assisting preservice teachers in the development of PCK. Coursework in the teacher education program, class observations at the school site, and feedback from a cooperating teacher were regarded as beneficial for preservice teachers’ learning to teach, while advancing their pedagogical knowledge. Educational implications for better preparing them for secondary school classrooms are suggested.