Reframing pedagogical content knowledge and topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge as dual frameworks for teaching and learning

Kassahun Dejene Belayneh

doi:10.29333/pr/16854

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Kassahun Dejene Belayneh ¹ ^*

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¹ Kotebe University of Education College of Sciences and Mathematics Education Department of Chemistry, Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This commentary re-conceptualized pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK) as dual frameworks that go beyond improving instructional delivery to actively shaping student outcomes in the context of 21^st century education. Drawing on selected literature published between 2008 and 2024, the analysis includes studies that directly examine the relationship between PCK/TSPCK and student learning outcomes such as conceptual understanding, problem-solving, and cognitive engagement as well as those exploring their integration in digitally enhanced learning environments. Studies included 25 published articles that provided empirical or theoretical insight into how PCK/TSPCK supports adaptive pedagogy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and excluded if they only discussed general teacher competence without linking to learner outcomes or digital contexts. The commentary argues that in technology-supported classrooms, PCK and TSPCK must be reframed as dynamic, learner-centered constructs essential for aligning instructional strategies with digital fluency and educational equity.

Keywords

pedagogical content knowledge
topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge
digital pedagogy
student outcomes
science education
21st cntury skills

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Review Article

PEDAGOGICAL RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, July 2025, Article No: em0247

https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/16854

Publication date: 02 Sep 2025

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How to cite this article

APA

Belayneh, K. D. (2025). Reframing pedagogical content knowledge and topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge as dual frameworks for teaching and learning. Pedagogical Research, 10(3), em0247. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/16854

Vancouver

Belayneh KD. Reframing pedagogical content knowledge and topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge as dual frameworks for teaching and learning. PEDAGOGICAL RES. 2025;10(3):em0247. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/16854

AMA

Belayneh KD. Reframing pedagogical content knowledge and topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge as dual frameworks for teaching and learning. PEDAGOGICAL RES. 2025;10(3), em0247. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/16854

Chicago

Belayneh, Kassahun Dejene. "Reframing pedagogical content knowledge and topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge as dual frameworks for teaching and learning". Pedagogical Research 2025 10 no. 3 (2025): em0247. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/16854

Harvard

Belayneh, K. D. (2025). Reframing pedagogical content knowledge and topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge as dual frameworks for teaching and learning. Pedagogical Research, 10(3), em0247. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/16854

MLA

Belayneh, Kassahun Dejene "Reframing pedagogical content knowledge and topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge as dual frameworks for teaching and learning". Pedagogical Research, vol. 10, no. 3, 2025, em0247. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/16854