Vol.

6 July International
2013
IAMURE
Journal of Multidisciplinary Research
Print ISSN 2243-8327 Online ISSN 2244-0429
International Peer Reviewed Journal
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7718/iamure.v6i1.656
This Journal is produced by IAMURE Multidisciplinary Research,
an ISO 9001:2008 certified by the AJA Registrars Inc.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge

of Secondary Biology Teachers
in Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM): Its Effect on Students
Science Process Skills
DAYAMON T. MAGDARA
ORCID No. 0000-0003-1639-4588
dayamonmocsr@gmail.com
Mindanao State University
Marawi City, Philippines

ABSTRACT
In these times, humanity continues to witness the glorious reign of science
and technology that is responsible for marvels that in centuries past were thought
mere flights of the imagination. The study investigated the pedagogical content
knowledge (PCK) of the biology teachers and its relation to the science process
skill of students in secondary high school of mainland Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Of the 17 biology teachers representing the sample
school respondents, 10 expressed willingness to statistical tools like measures of
central tendency, measures of variability. Somers d test and correlation coefficient
were utilized for the analysis of the data gathered. Results showed a great majority
of the biology teachers as holders of non-science/biology degrees and have not
attended seminars and trainings related to science. To augment their knowledge
of the content, few of them pursued advanced courses either at the Masters or
PhD levels. Result showed that the teachers lend themselves to classification
as novice, traditional, and experienced. Tests to establish correlations between
teachers PCK and the students science process skills yielded very low correlations
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International Peer Reviewed Journal

in almost all constructs when tested using the alpha 0.05 level of significance. The
biology teachers from the two provinces (Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao) of
the mainland ARMM are not science or biology-oriented teachers; therefore,
a mismatch exists between teachers qualifications or preparations/training and
their teaching assignment.
KEYWORDS
Education, pedagogical content knowledge, Science process skills, descriptive
design, Marawi City, Philippines
INTRODUCTION
Science and technology are vital handmaids of development. This is an
incontrovertible fact for all nations that are eager to be in the vanguard of the
march to progress. Science education received special emphasis in the 1987
Constitution.
It is thus inevitable that the quality of science teaching and learning continues
to be a major area of concern for academe in particular and the entire nation in
general. As the deterioration of the quality of education, particularly in the fields
mentioned, is increasingly felt, the alarm rises to higher levels. The handwriting
on the wall cannot be ignored. Among countries whose measures were taken
in international assessments like the TIMSS and the SISS, from 1995 to 2003,
the Philippines consistently counts among the lowest performing participants
(Orleans, 2007). This has occasioned much finger pointing which unfortunately
is often done more with facility than judgment. A scapegoat must at once be
named.
When standards are not met, it is the lack of a sufficient number of competent
science teachers that is at once blamed as the problem. This tendency to readily
pinpoint the so-called teacher factor in education, although precipitate, is
commonsensical. Science teachers after all are the deliverers of instruction, the
facilitators of learning. Their role in the teaching-learning enterprise makes them
vulnerable to blame. It is this central role of the teacher that stands out in the
minds of people who, losing sight of the complexity of the teaching-learning
process, tend to oversimplify or reduce matters to a single pat explanation.
Despite the massive institutional advancement for development of optimum
teaching competences of teachers that hopefully would eventually bring
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IAMURE International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research

about quality students output, still significant gains in bringing reforms and
improvements to the education system remain elusive in many parts of the
country, particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Students low-level of performance in the national and regional examinations can
attest to the deplorable situation.
Despite the overall poor performance posted, a number of graduates of high
schools in ARMM are taking up college sciences like biology, chemistry and physics
courses in their freshmen year as part of the general studies program required by
the various curricula. Based on the personal experience of the researcher, high
school graduates are indeed unprepared for college work because of inadequate
background in high school science like the biology subject. Freshmen students
especially those coming from the ARMM do not have the skills to cope with
the rudiments of tertiary education and the more cognitively demanding tasks
associated with it. The high percentage of failures, dropouts, incomplete grades
and course shifting are clear evidences of poor academic background in science
and lack of scholastic readiness. If the problem is not explicitly addressed, college
work for this growing number of students spells more doom than destiny. Put
another way, they are programmed for failure.
It is believed that what students learn is greatly influenced by how they are
taught. Substantial evidence of related researches (Ahtee and Johnston, 2006)
showed that a lack in content knowledge can lead to teaching difficulties.
The earlier mentioned professional development activities instituted by the
government for the benefit of ARMM teachers are aimed at improving content
knowledge with the growing hope that teacher knowledge in the subject area can
strongly influence student learning (Hill et al., 2005).
Pedagogical content knowledge and skills in science are honed through
classroom practice (Van Driel et al., 1998) and are therefore often undeveloped
in so-called novices or beginning teachers (Loughran et al., 2003). To bridge this
gap, institutions responsible for developing teachers must not only make sure
that future teachers have the content knowledge necessary to teach science; they
also need to assure that teachers have the ability to create productive learning
environments for their students, so they too can develop a deep understanding
of the content and processes of science. It bears mentioning here that science
pedagogy is undergoing interesting changes. Teachers must also know how
to facilitate science learning in their students. In other words, the how of
teaching is as important as the what. Impoverished pedagogical skills results
in impoverished learning. As a facilitator of learning, the teacher must have
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adequate knowledge of science content to be successful in putting concepts,

principles and processes across to the students, but this alone does not suffice.
Content knowledge must go hand in hand with knowledge of teaching method
to come up with a repertoire of varied techniques or strategies that can effectively
transmit this knowledge and attain the goals of science teaching. This does not
seem to be what is happening in the Philippines classrooms particularly those in
the ARMM. Thus, the idea for this research sprang from a felt need to investigate
the veracity of the reports on the low performance of the students in the ARMM
and to establish the degree of association between the teachers pedagogical
content knowledge (PCK) and the students science process skills as measured
by their performance in a biology achievement test. Results of the study may
contribute insights into improving and strengthening biology instruction in the
region and for sustained efforts towards effectively preparing pre-service teachers
of the teacher institutions so that student outputs would be more competitive
nationally, and hopefully, globally.
FRAMEWORK
There are models of PCK and other related theories upon which this study
drew upon for theoretical basis. The Taxonomy of PCK Attributes espoused by
Veal and McKinster (1999) presents an overlap or relatedness of all attributes
of PCK that determines the amount of its development. Before these taxonomy
attributes of PCK are discussed in this section, it is significant to present some
previous attributes cited by Veal and MaKinster (1999) because these served as
the springboard to the development of the Taxonomy of PCK Attributes. Cited
works included that of Smith and Neale (1989) who described PCK as having
three components: knowledge of typical student errors, knowledge of particular
teaching strategies, and knowledge of content elaboration. They stated many
of these kinds of teaching knowledge would be in simultaneous use during
science teaching and that their integration would contribute to the complexity of
teaching (Smith & Neale, 1989).
Smith and Neale believed that the integration of these essential components is
vital to effective science teaching. This definition incorporated four components:
knowledge of subject matter, knowledge of students, knowledge of environmental
contexts, and knowledge of pedagogy. These components are illustrated in two
Venn diagrams showing how the four components overlap and how PCK is
centralized within the overlaps. The first diagram represents the integration of
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IAMURE International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research

the four components in a novice teacher. The second larger diagram represents
the integration of the four by an experienced teacher, symbolizing the extra
knowledge gained from years of experience. Another difference in the two Venn
diagrams was the amount of overlap between the four components. The Venn
diagram for the experienced teacher shows greater overlap, symbolizing increased
integration of the four components, and this means greater PCK development.

Figure 1. Diagram of the taxonomy of PCK attributes

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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study was undertaken to investigate some aspects of the teachinglearning process that are considered constructs of pedagogical content knowledge
(PCK) of biology teachers in the mainland provinces of the Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). It also sought to determine if there exists a
relationship or correlation between the PCK constructs and the science process
skills of the students.
Hypothesis
Ho: There is no significant relationship between the constructs of PCK of the
biology teacher respondents and the science process skills of students.
METHODOLOGY
Research Design
The research employed both qualitative and quantitative methodologies,
where quantitative analysis with assigned numeral values could range from the
examination of simple frequencies to the description of profile variables of the
biology teachers, using descriptive statistics to the investigation of correlation
between and among variables, and causal hypothesis using statistical tests.
Qualitative method of research was used in this study in order to obtain an indepth look in describing qualities (Fraenkel &Wallen, 2000) or characteristics of
the respondents, situation or set of attributes as in the case of the constructs of
pedagogical content knowledge.
Qualitative research also occurs in natural settings, where human behavior
and events occur (Creswell, 1994), in contrast with experimental investigations
which are conducted under rigorously controlled laboratory conditions. Since
the researcher wanted to obtain a holistic or complete picture of what goes on
in teachers classrooms, the qualitative method of research was deemed the most
appropriate to address the research questions and fulfill the stated purpose of the
study.

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Research Locale
The researcher opted to conduct the study among selected communities
in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) mainland, which
covers Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
Respondents of the Study
The participants of the study were the ten biology teachers and their second
year biology students from intact clans in secondary public high schools in
Marawi City Division; Lanao del Sur Division 1-A, Division 1- B, Division
11-A, Division 11-B; Maguindanao District I and District II. The researcher
employed two methods for identifying the respondents of the study, namely;
stratified random sampling and purposive sampling. Stratified random sampling
was used to draw a sample of the school respondents in each province. The select
schools that represent a particular division or district automatically became
the school representative. The name of the schools were coded as schools A, B,
CU, as dictated by research ethical principles, and in accordance with the
agreement reached with the respondents who requested anonymity due to the
sensitive nature of certain issues dealt with in the inquiry. Twenty-one schools
were selected among secondary high schools in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur
Division-I and Division-II, and Maguindanao District I and II. For each school,
one teacher was selected as a biology teacher respondent. This teacher served as
respondent for the qualitative part of the study.
Sampling Procedure
The second sampling method utilized in this study is of the non-probability
type, termed purposive sampling, since the participants were chosen based on
the researchers judgment or discretion, and the latters willingness or informed
consent to take part in the study. The primary consideration in the selection was
the teachers willingness to work with the researcher. The teachers selected as
sources of the needed qualitative data must have (at the time of the prosecution
of the inquiry) at least one year teaching experience in school where they are
currently teaching. Out of the 17 teacher respondents, only ten biology teachers
signified their willingness to be observed in their respective classes which for
the researcher was already adequate for the purpose of her study. The rest of
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the teachers allowed the researcher to only conduct interview with them and
during the one-on-one interviews were so far very cooperative in providing some
information needed in the study.
Research Procedure
In order to obtain data on the characteristics of the respondents and such
other information needed in this research, a data collection procedure was drawn
up and faithfully utilized with steps enumerated below.
Step 1: A first visit to the area was done for a preliminary survey, that is, for
the purpose of getting an overall picture and gaining some degree of familiarity
with the people and the place where the study would be conducted so that the
researcher would have an idea of how best to deploy her time and other resources.
Some of these provinces are not familiar to the researcher. In a way, this first visit
was part of the researchers strategy of negotiating access or entry to the site.
Step 2: Permission was obtained from the DepEd ARMM Secretary, SDS,
supervisors, principals and administrative heads of the sample schools to conduct
the planned study on secondary biology class. Prior to the actual conduct of
the study, the researcher made a preliminary visit to the 21 schools to inquire
about the second year students class schedules and to know the teachers. The
researcher, in addition to taking notes which could get in the way of following
more carefully the interviewees responses and cues and nuances, recorded the
interviews with a laptop and digital camera. Some of the participants gave their
consent and agreed with the researcher to cooperate. Others, unfortunately, were
not as cooperative in the classroom observation. They feared that the video of
classroom phenomena as well as the recorded interviews might have an inimical
effect on their schools as well as on their profession as teachers; in other words,
they feared that the reality revealed could put them in an unflattering light.
The researcher invited an independent observer. Topics discussed were noted
with the use of field notes and videos. The outside observer performed her part,
aided by an observation checklist, survey instrument for the teacher, and other
data needed in the study. The researcher did note-taking continuously while
observing, using sketches or drawing to improve the detailed field notes.
Step 3: The data sources were interviewed and classrooms observation (video
tapes) of secondary biology classes was held. All the planning, meetings or
interactions, and notes of the teachers produced during the interviews as well as
the observation were carefully recorded to keep the data intact, organized, and
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easy to retrieve for the data analysis. The analysis included transcription of video
sources, document analysis and probes of teachers science PCK, checklist for the
students as well as the teachers. All these were employed to ensure the reliability
or integrity of the interpretation of the data. After the observation, interview
and checklist employed with the biology teacher respondents, the researcher
administered an achievement test to the student respondents.
Research Instruments
The primary data-gathering methods or instruments were the questionnaire,
interview schedule and observation guide. Probing interviews on teacher
professional characteristics that would describe content knowledge and PCK
were held. Information sheets were filled out by the student participants, and an
achievement test was administered to them. The recording tools or gadgets used
in collecting data during the classroom observation were video camera and/or
laptop/notebook to accurately and completely capture the classroom discourse
and observation checklist/notes.
Using the stratified random sampling, the names of all the National High
Schools in each province, written on a piece of paper, were obtained, rolled, and
placed in separate boxes. The boxes had been shaken one at a time to mix the
names of schools thoroughly. Schools in every division were drawn from the box
using Slovens formula. It was through this procedure that the sample schools for
this study were determined.
The main tools used in collecting data for classroom observation were video
camera of a laptop to capture the classroom discourse, observation checklist,
field notes, interviews on teacher professional characteristics that would describe
content knowledge and PCK, information sheet and achievement test for
students.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Educational qualification or educational attainment of a teacher is one factor
that can affect the achievement of student because properly credentialed or
qualified teacher are expected to be impart more knowledge to the students. The
educational qualification of teachers is believed to correlate with the students
performance (Laguindab, 2005). In this study, 17 biology teacher respondents
from the select schools in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao were
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mostly non-science oriented since most of them are not biology degree holders.
These non-science major teachers, who constitute a significant proportion, are
teaching Biology subject which they may not be competent or qualified enough
to handle because they do not have sufficient units earned in Biology courses to
adequately equip them with Biology content knowledge. Content knowledge
or knowledge of representation of subject matter is, in fact, named as one of
key elements of pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1987). Most of
the teachers express difficulty in evaluating learning outcomes due to lack of
knowledge content and educational theory undergirding evaluation methods and
procedures. This is a consequence of their lack of proper essential educational
background.
Another finding in this study implies that majority of the teachers teaching
biology have a few years of teaching experience behind them, and thus are
considered inexperienced according to their length of source and as such they
may be expected not to provide efficient and effective instruction. Researchers
(Shulman, 1987; Adam and Knockover, 1997) believe that PCK develop
through years of teaching practice. The idea of there being links between PCK
and wisdom of practice has known considerable iteration. Experience teachers,
as generally expected, have more PCK. Moreover, the secondary biology teachers
were not properly oriented to the field of biology especially those who are nonscience majors. Their apparent lack of interest in attending seminars or training
in biological science tells on them. Majority (63.16%) of the respondents have
not attended any in-service training. This implies that teachers need to have a
seminar- workshop or training on teaching science for them to be equipped
with the modern trends and teaching skills in science that would enhance their
teaching competence.
Part of the profile variable of the teacher participants that was inquired was
their research output, which is an equally important indicator of the skills of
teachers in research in the field of science; this must be recognized as an important
aspect in teaching Biology. With respect to the research conducted, the result
indicates that majority of the respondents have not conducted any research
except their undergrad thesis. Majority of the biology teacher respondents have
developed the habit of completely or exclusively relying on whatever is written
in the textbook or books that they are using in the class through all the years
of their teaching career. In these teachers who have the same unvarying staple
to offer their students year after year, creativity, imagination and initiative have
curdled. In fairness, however, it must be stated here that most of the teachers
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who are saddled with teaching assignment, not in line with their chosen area
of concentration, were observed as trying their level best to teach their students
religiously by employing some motivational skills or strategies calculated to
arouse the interest of their students. However, such motivational skills are limited
and may be at a low level due to their insufficient knowledge and exposure of the
teachers involved.
Table 1. Summary of the variables and analysis of the achievement
test of the students with corresponding teachers
No. of
Years in
Teaching

Trainings
and Seminars
Attended

No. of
Students

Mean
Score

SD

Rank

BSE-English
MA-Units

Mass Training
(DOST)

28

20.36

2.297

BS-Bio

DOST-Training UBD

40

19.78

3.997

BSEd-Bio

10

21

17.95

4.260

AB-Shariah/
Filipino

17

17.88

2.421

BS-Bio

None

63

17.41

4.354

None

24

17.08

3.020

UBD

11

15.18

3.656

DOST-Training UBD

19

14.63

3.022

BSEd-Bio

UBD

36

13.78

3.579

BS-Bio

None

35

13.29

3.304

10

School

Teacher

Degree/Major

BSIE-Food/
THE
BS-Bio/Ph.D
units
BSEd-English/
MAPEA

DOSTTraining
UBD

Teachers Pedagogy
The Pedagogy of teachers inside the classroom was determined with the use of
an observation checklist and classroom discourse. Distinctive of the pedagogical
approaches used by the teachers in this study are: 1) Pure one-way pedagogy,
meaning the teacher accepts choral answer(s) to the question. For example, the
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biology teacher directs some questions to the students but the students do not
respond formatively in the discussion; 2) predominantly one-way pedagogy,
meaning the teacher directs many or most questions to individual students and
occasionally uses those responses formatively; 3) direct questions to students
without clarifying or justifying students answer; 4) partial two-way pedagogy;
and 5) full two-way pedagogy, meaning there is an effective dialogue between
teacher and students in the construction of knowledge of the concept.
The predominantly one-way pedagogy, as well as the partial two-way
pedagogy, emerged as always used by the teachers. This strategy was always
used by the teachers. This strategy does not promote good interaction between
the students and the teachers. Teachers tend to dominate activities within turn
facilities the teacher-centered approach. Thus, as observed, the pattern of biology
teachers pedagogy could be generally described as teacher-dominated, meaning
most of the talking was done by the teachers and there was less interaction on the
part of their students, whether between and among them, or between individual
students and their teacher.
Active learning which was fostered by the inquiry approach or problembased learning (Goodnough, 2008) could promote critical thinking ability
of the students. However, it is sad to note that these teaching techniques are
not employed by most of the Biology teacher respondents. As observed by the
researcher, teachers C, E, G, and H posed questions to the students during
classroom discussion and accepted the answers of the students given in chorus.
In this kind of setup, it is difficult to monitor the participation or engagement of
individual learners, especially those at risk of learning difficulties. Their usually
muted voices are drowned in the din of choral answer. The teacher respondents
who accepted answers given in unison adopted a default mode of teaching; they
did not give a chance to the slow learners to answer, or be truly heard and properly
assessed. Moreover, most of the questions were directed to the fast learners.
Teacher-Student Interaction
Student-teacher interaction is determined and classified based on the ratio
of student determined and classified based on the ratio of students and teacher
activities or talk inside the classroom. Of the three indicators of teacher-student
interaction, teacher-dominated interaction was always used by the teachers in
every lesson with a weighted mean rating of 4.0, whereas student-dominated
interaction (wm=2.71) and teacher-student dominated approach (wm= 2.50)
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were only sometimes used by the teacher in every lesson being discussed. This
reminds one of an observation made by Shulman (1987) himself i.e. teachers
delivering the instruction (content or subject matter knowledge) mostly, if not,
exclusively, by lectures, with minimal classroom activities. The greater part of the
time is expended on teacher talk inside the classroom rather than on students
activities. Learning by doing through hands-on, minds-on and hearts-on is a very
effective method for the teaching-learning process; allowing students to explore,
discover, and manipulate things on their own. Depending on the subject matter
and the students abilities and interests, the teaching strategies will essentially
vary from time to time. There is not one strategy that can work well for all kinds
of lesson objectives, or for all types of students. Individual students have unique
or idiosyncratic needs and interests; they have different multiple intelligences
strengths or proclivities, and learning styles and strategies. The teacher should
never lose sight of this diversity and the cultural climate. The researchers
observation provided evidence that there was a lot of room for improvement.
Teachers Motivational Skills
The result of this study implies that the biology teacher respondents have
limited motivational skills geared toward advancing the interactive approach of
teaching. Using a variety of motivational skills stimulates the learners interest
in learning and keeps them engaged in learning. Teachers who are motivated are
observed to be fired up with genuine enthusiasm and are full of energy as they face
their students. Such enthusiasm and energy are infectious, and are communicated
to students who themselves are motivated to learn and are observed to be wideeyed, alert and excited and eager to be involved in any learning activity. Whatever
is done by a teacher has a motivational, formative influence on students.
Pedagogical Knowledge
Pedagogical knowledge is deep knowledge of the processes and practices or
methods of teaching and learning. It encompasses overall educational purposes,
values, and aims. This is a generic form of knowledge that applies to students
learning, classroom management, lesson plan development, and implementation,
and student evaluation. A teacher with deep pedagogical knowledge understands
how students construct knowledge and acquire skills, and how they develop
habits of mind and positive disposition towards learning. In this study, the
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researcher included three aspects of pedagogical knowledge that must be used

by the teacher. These are: 1) critical thinking skills of the students; 2) asking
questions techniques; and 3) correct responses of teachers to students answers.
Majority of the teacher respondents always used the following techniques for
developing the attribute in their students: (a) classification, with a weighted
mean rating of 3.50; (b) concept formation (wm=3.38); (c) identifying patterns
and relationships (wm= 3. 38); and (d) constructing meaning (wm=3.15). On
the other hand, the following techniques turned out to be only mostly used:
formulating hypothesis (wm= 2.88), reasoning (wm = 3.13), and representing
related concepts (wm= 3.25).
Teachers Manner of Asking Question
To teach well, it is widely believed that one must be able to question well.
Asking good questions fosters interaction between the teacher and his/her students.
Rosenshine (1971) found that large amounts of student-teacher interaction
promote student achievement. Thus, one can surmise that good questions
foster students understanding. However, it is important to know that not all
questions achieve this. There are questions or even ways of asking questions that
may actually be counter-productive or discourage instead of fostering interactive
learning. The results show that the teacher respondents encouraged the students
to participate in the classroom discussion as the indicator asking question clearly
explicitly manifest the effort expended by teachers on framing or formulating
questions suited to the level of comprehension of the students.
Level of Question Asked by the Teachers
Majority of the biology teachers asked low level for both convergent (88.89%)
and divergent (77.11%) questions. Convergent questions are multiple choice
tests (many questions asked by some teachers). On the other hand, a question
that allows a variety of answers is termed divergent because it may lead in many
directions. Provocative discussions are usually of this type. Thus, the result indicates
that majority of the biology teachers asked questions that entail only simple
recall and that the students could answer directly by reading from their textbook.
Carlsen (1987) found the frequent use of questions that require no more than
simple recall associated with low levels of PCK. Costa (2001) mentioned that
questioning can activate students intellectual functioning. Students derive their
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answers almost totally from teacher questions and statements. Questions should
require students to search for relationships, synthesis, analysis, and compare and
contrast in order to help them process data. Questioning, structuring, responding
and modeling should occur within the classroom. During class observation for
example, Teacher H asked the students to differentiate the spermatogenesis and
oogenesis, meiosis from mitosis. Teacher B also pitched the question to her
students requiring them to compare the vertebrates and invertebrates and give
examples. Likewise, Teacher F asked the students to compare and contrast biotic
factors with abiotic factors, and Teacher A also asked her students to construct
a food chain and food web. However, most of the questions mentioned above
are divergent type of questions; consequently, majority of the students could not
answer them. The teachers were forced to answer those questions themselves and
explain again to the students. The rest of the teachers asked easy questions or
convergent questions most of the time.
Assessment Methods Used By the Teachers in Assessing Students Progress
Majority of the teacher respondents always used the traditional pencil-paper
test with a weighted mean of 4.67 thus ranking first, followed by rating students
classroom performance (wm=4.0), and homework/ assignment (wm=3.67).
The student-teacher conference (wm=2.22) is the least used by the teachers in
every lesson. This result suggests that the teachers still rely on the traditional
method of assessment. Thus, they need to attend some in-service training to learn
more modern technology in, or alternative forms of, students evaluation and
assessment. Evaluating and reporting academic progress is a challenging endeavor
and one that evokes high interest from teachers and student alike. Measuring
and passing judgment on the ability, knowledge, or performance of students is
a sensitive task that teachers must fulfill conscientiously and objectively. Recent
research indicates that teachers are highly accurate judges (Elliott et al., 2000).
However, teachers ability to judge the academic functioning of students has
important practical implications, for example, the level of questions they ask
the students or the tests they construct and administer are an important point
to consider.
Instructional Techniques
Teaching is an art of assisting students to learn. It is mainly facilitating students
comprehension and internalization of lessons taken up in class through the use
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of appropriate method(s), a repertoire of teaching techniques or strategies and

suitable instructional materials. To quote Shulmans conception of pedagogical
content knowledge which may very well serve as the definition of effective
teaching, teaching involves for the most part transformation or representation
of subject matter (Wilson, 1996), which takes the form of the most powerful
analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations. All good
teaching is characterized by proper teaching method and instructional materials
that enhance the effectiveness of teaching. To this must be added the fitting of
method and materials to the characteristics of the students.
This finding is supported by the study of Pacatua (2006), where teachers
utilized the lecture method in imparting the lesson to the students. This means
that the teachers dominated or virtually teaching-learning activities with a
minimum participation of the students such as typify a teacher-fronted classroom.
According to Calderon (1993), the lecture method, especially the formal one, is
not well adapted as a tool of teaching unless the lecture is well prepared and
logically organized, that is, the topic or points are arranged in proper order so
that there is a logical flow of thought.
Development and Presentation in the Classroom
of Content Knowledge of Biology Teachers
In this study, presentation of the knowledge of content of the biology teachers
was verified based on the topics discussed. The content knowledge of the ten
biology teacher respondents was observed in the following manner based on the
topics discussed during the classroom observation: 1) sequence of the subtopic
discussed; 2) relevance of the subtopic or issues discussed; 3) relevance and
adequacy of the example given; 4) presence and adequacy of the visual materials;
and 5) depth of knowledge of the topic (content knowledge).
The 10 biology teacher respondents observed in sessions that saw them
involved in classroom discussion took up different topics. These are: 1) energy
flow in the ecosystem; 2) vertebrates and invertebrates; 3) human organ system;
4) transport in and out of the cell; 5) interaction in the ecosystem; 6) circulatory
system; 7) gametogenesis; 8) alimentary canal or digestive system; and 9) nervous
system. The summary of the teachers knowledge of content as observed by the
researcher and by one of the biology experts of the College of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics, Department of Biology, in MSU-Main campus, Marawi city. As
to the content knowledge observed to be possessed by the respondents, majority
are obviously not competent to teach the topics. Only Teachers C, H, and G
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stood out from the group observed in the classroom setting. One of the teachers
observed in this study (Teacher E) was bookish, unabashedly dependent on the
textbook and does not even bother to modify the subject matter or content of
the textbook to make it simpler, comprehensible and accessible to her students.
Furthermore, the researcher with the help of an expert who observed the teacher
respondents to ascertain the level of their content knowledge characterized the
teachers as novice, traditional and experienced teachers. Thus, the finding of this
study reveals that majority of the teacher respondents are considered experienced
but traditional teachers.
Teachers Knowledge Structure of Biology Topics
Based on the scoring Rubrics done by the expert of Biology from MSUMarawi City, she scored the seven teachers observed on their individual concept
maps. The result shows that based on the overall evaluation, they all failed or had
poor concept maps (See appendix E for the scoring). According to this expert,
the teacher respondents need trainings or continue schooling to improve the
content knowledge in order to provide accurate and excellent concept maps,
thereby giving quality learning to the students afterwards. These observations
can be quantified by considering the scores of the concept maps as categorized
based on the educational attainment. The concept maps of teachers having a
background in Biology has obtained below average as of the experts knowledge
concepts. Moreover, they differ in some other criteria particularly in the aspects
of relationships, number of hierarchies, branching cross links and in giving
examples. Compared with the non-biology majors, their concepts maps were not
focused on the purpose and were not clear, confusing to read with no hierarchical
organization. It also shows inconsistent links, except for BSE major in English
(teacher G) who diligently attended trainings has shown in her concept map,
although there are misconceptions identified, yet it is very minimal. This implies
that the biology teacher-respondents still need improvement for the concept
knowledge of biology. Knowledge development allows the teachers to look for
alternative forms of understanding of concepts that are too difficult or abstract to
be understood by the students. Authors like Anderson (1989), believed that when
teachers have rich content knowledge, they can reflect on what teaching strategy
to use in order that the lesson they want inculcated is presented to the students
easily. Meaning, learning will take place when students understand concepts and
apply these concepts to everyday life (Ausubel, 1998).
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The result of this study confirms that majority of the biology teachers content
knowledge is inadequate. They need more training or further studies specially
those who are non-biology major teachers who teach biology. This suggests that
biology teachers under study be encouraged to pursue masters degree program
in biology and not in other fields. Biology teachers with masters degree in a
different field of specializations should not be assigned to teach biology but some
other subjects.
Based on the interview and classroom observations made by the researcher
it was found out that the teachers have limited strategies due to lack of content
knowledge. Moreover, they do not use innovative ways to help their students
learn. It seems that they lack motivation to do so. These results imply that
biology teachers should be motivated in different teaching strategies/techniques
in presenting the topics in order to harness their full potentials to awaken their
creativity. It will be helpful to give them opportunity to attend more seminars
and have opportunities for professional growth or in-service trainings in order to
improve teaching and learning science process skills of the students. The concept
map constructed by the biology teachers in this study are generally insufficient or
inadequate knowledge in biology. Probably, because most of the biology teachers
lack the concept knowledge since most of them were non-biology majors. Based
on the evaluation of the two experts in biology, the concept maps presented
by the teacher respondents failed to meet accepted standards. They need more
training or schooling in the field of Biology for them to be more competent in
teaching biology.
Levels of Students Process Skills Based on Biology Achievement Test
The result of the students performance in the biology achievement test was
also observed in this study. As revealed, School U obtained a weighted mean of
20.36, thus ranking first, followed by School P which obtained a weighted mean
of 19.78 and ranking second. School O takes the third place with a weighted
mean of 17.88 and School C obtained a weighted mean of 15.18, thus placing
last. It is worth noting what the data reveal i.e. Schools U, P, and O with
teachers who are properly credentialed, that is, having science as their field
of specialization turned in a good performance in the science achievement
test. The researcher does not think this is incidental. This is highly suggestive,
serving as an acute commentary on questionable recruitment practices rampant
in many areas in the region that account for non-science majors like an English
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or Filipino major handling biology as a subject area. Simple logic leads one to
the conclusion that the content knowledge of such teachers must be very low.
How much more must be their pedagogical content knowledge considering that
content knowledge presupposes or undergirds Pedagogical Content Knowledge.
The impoverished learning outcomes of students in such schools serve as a
damning exhibit of the consequence of such reprehensible recruitment practices
that flagrantly disregard qualification standards and congruency of ones field of
specialization and subjects taught. As George and Kaplan (1998) confidently
asserted, the teachers play a significant role in the learning process. They can
directly or indirectly influence the students attitudes toward science process
which in consequence can influence student achievement.
Correlations between the Students Biology Performance and the Constructs
of PCK
In this section, the researcher determined to what extent the constructs of
pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) are related to the students performance
in the biology achievement test. For this studys purposes, five elements were
isolated and used to describe the PCK of the teachers. These are: teachers type
of pedagogy, motivational skills, pedagogical knowledge, assessing skills, and
instructional skills used by the teachers. Results of the attempt to establish the
existence of a correlation between and among the two sets of variables and the
magnitude of the relationship are reflected in the tabulation and discussion
that follow. On the correlation between students science process skills and the
constructs of teachers PCK, results show: a) no correlation with the teachers
pedagogy; likewise b) all motivational skills employed by the teachers during
the classroom discourse have no correlation with students science process skills;
(c) for teachers pedagogical knowledge on the aspect of teachers reactions and
students science process skills, only asking students another question to get the
answer has a significant correlation and calling on other students to get their
responses was found to have highly significant with the students science process
skills; and on the PCKs other aspect of developing process skills of students, result
show that among the indicators, only providing students consistent guidance in
all class activities is highly significant with their science process skills; (d) the
relationship between the indicators of assessing skills used by the teachers and
students science process skills yielded a negligible or very low correlation because
only two indicators showed highly significant like the use of paper-pencil test,
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and rating students classroom performance which is significant with students

science process skills; with the instructional techniques used by the teachers and
students science process skills showed only two indicators that elicited significant
correlation (disciplinary action) and highly significant correlation (review or go
over homework), but when tested for its significant at 0.05 level, all resulted in
non-significance.
For future researcher on PCK of science teachers, a bigger sample is highly
recommended being studied in order to have a good correlation result and for the
comparison with this present study in investigating the PCK of different public
high schools in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and its effect on
students performance.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on the findings presented above, the following conclusions are drawn:
1. The biology teachers in the selected secondary schools in the two provinces
in ARMM Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao are not science or biologyoriented teachers. They are hired by the DepEd personnel and allowed to
teach the subject which is not their field of specialization. Therefore, there
are many teachers not qualified, not equipped with the needed skills in
teaching science among the teaching force of the ARMM.
2. Due to insufficient background of the biology teachers in biology course,
they experience difficulty in teaching the biology subject. Therefore, they
could not teach the subject competently and cannot design a meaningful
teaching-learning interaction in the class since they have insufficient
foundation with the subject they are teaching to their students. This
situation could enhance misconceptions and poor quality in science
education.
3. Since the teachers in biology subject in the school respondents are not
biology experts, they have low level pedagogical content knowledge. In
this regard, their products have gained less knowledge about biology
course.
4. Based on the observation in this study, the biology teacher respondents
based on the different research tools used for analysis like observation
of classroom discourse, interviews, questionnaire, concept maps, revealed
that majority of the teacher respondents were categorized as novice,
traditional teacher, meaning they rely heavily on lecture method and
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regarded as teacher centered, and some are experienced teachers for having
been in the service for more than ten years, however they still exhibit to be
traditional teachers.
5. The result of the students science process skills as measured by achievement
test in biology is generally poor in all the school respondents and not even
one school obtained a fifty percent rating. This is an indication of poor
quality education in the secondary public schools in the two provinces in
ARMM. Thus, there is in need for improving the teachers pedagogical
content knowledge and the students science process skill for quality
education output.
6. The teachers teaching strategies and content knowledge are very limited
because they could not understand deeply the concepts of the lessons they
intend to teach to their students since they are not biology majors and
not even exposed to trainings, workshops, no exposure to meaningful
environment, and have not pursued advance studies in biology course.
7. The very low and insignificant results in the correlation between the
students science process skills and the teachers PCK can be regarded
generally as a showcase confirming the claimed degrading educational
situation in the ARMM; therefore, it is high time for the administrators
to institute changes and innovations in the region, upgrade policies
on recruitments, do honest follow-ups on trainings implemented, and
minimize if not to drop off corruption in all levels in the education sector.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The school administrators should see to it that their recruited teachers are
properly screened and that they should hire what are needed in the school.
2. The school administrators should give teachers teaching load appropriate
to their field of specialization. Imposing on teachers alien subject areas
to teach is a disservice to education and an agonizing, unproductive
and frustrating experience for both the teacher and his/her students. In
extreme cases as when no biology or science teachers are available, they
must send the ones available to crash programs, trainings and exposure in
the field of science teaching, especially in biology.

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