In-service secondary school teachers’ self-reported pedagogical knowledge in science and mathematics instruction

Thumah Mapulanga; Loyiso Currell Jita

doi:10.20897/ejsteme/18036

Research Article

2026, 11(1), Article No: 10

In-service secondary school teachers’ self-reported pedagogical knowledge in science and mathematics instruction

Thumah Mapulanga ¹ ^* , Loyiso Currell Jita ¹

¹ University of the Free State, SOUTH AFRICA
^* Corresponding Author

https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18036

Published in Volume 11 Issue 1: 04 Mar 2026

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Abstract

Although effective STEM education depends on teachers’ pedagogical knowledge (PK) to enact student-centred dialogic instruction, limited research exists on PK in sub-Saharan African contexts. This mixed-methods study used a sequential explanatory-convergence design to explore Zambian STEM teachers’ self-reported PK in dialogic pedagogy in science and mathematics. Quantitative data were collected using a validated online survey (α = .953) administered to 186 in-service teachers, and semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers. Quantitative findings revealed that teachers reported high PK, with only the qualification pursued significantly predicting teachers’ self-reported PK. Gender, age, highest qualification, teaching experience, and specialisation did not significantly influence reported PK. Qualitative results indicated that teachers demonstrate adequate knowledge to implement effective instruction in STEM lessons but showed limited ability to anticipate learning difficulties and support productive struggle. Overall, results suggest that teachers are theoretically ready to implement dialogic pedagogy in STEM classrooms. Future research may involve classroom observations and performance assessments to assess classroom enactment.

Figure 1. Teacher professional knowledge (Gess-Newsome, 2015)

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APA 7th edition

In-text citation: (Mapulanga & Jita, 2026)
Reference: Mapulanga, T., & Jita, L. C. (2026). In-service secondary school teachers’ self-reported pedagogical knowledge in science and mathematics instruction. European Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18036

AMA 10th edition

In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Mapulanga T, Jita LC. In-service secondary school teachers’ self-reported pedagogical knowledge in science and mathematics instruction. European Journal of STEM Education. 2026;11(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18036

Chicago

In-text citation: (Mapulanga and Jita, 2026)
Reference: Mapulanga, Thumah, and Loyiso Currell Jita. "In-service secondary school teachers’ self-reported pedagogical knowledge in science and mathematics instruction". European Journal of STEM Education 2026 11 no. 1 (2026): 10. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18036

Harvard

In-text citation: (Mapulanga and Jita, 2026)
Reference: Mapulanga, T., and Jita, L. C. (2026). In-service secondary school teachers’ self-reported pedagogical knowledge in science and mathematics instruction. European Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18036

MLA

In-text citation: (Mapulanga and Jita, 2026)
Reference: Mapulanga, Thumah et al. "In-service secondary school teachers’ self-reported pedagogical knowledge in science and mathematics instruction". European Journal of STEM Education, vol. 11, no. 1, 2026, 10. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18036

Vancouver

In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Mapulanga T, Jita LC. In-service secondary school teachers’ self-reported pedagogical knowledge in science and mathematics instruction. European Journal of STEM Education. 2026;11(1):10. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18036

Keywords

dialogic pedagogy, pedagogical knowledge, self-efficacy, STEM, student-centered

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