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Online Microteaching Lesson Study: An Approach to Improve Prospective Elementary

Teachers’ Subject Matter Knowledge in Chemistry

Joan B. Alday

King’s of the Philippines

October 31, 2024

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Abstract
The abrupt changes in teacher training brought by the COVID-19 pandemic urged teacher
education institutions to implement interventions that would continuously equip prospective
teachers with professional knowledge. As a response, this study utilized the online
microteaching lesson study (OMLS) as an intervention in developing prospective elementary
teachers’ (PETs) subject matter knowledge (SMK) in chemistry. It employed a mixed-method
explanatory sequential design to determine the effects of OMLS on the SMK in chemistry of
36 PETs. Quantitative results revealed a significant effect of OMLS on PETs’ SMK as
indicated by the improved achievement in chemistry, the identical normalized gain scores of
the OMLS groups, and the enhanced SMK survey results of the OMLS teams. On the other
hand, qualitative results showed that OMLS reinforced conceptual understanding by involving
PETs in active learning and catalyzed conceptual change by enforcing PETs to employ
metacognition. In addition, OMLS improved PETs’ ability to demonstrate SMK in teaching
chemistry through repeated lesson implementation. In conclusion, PETs’ SMK in chemistry
improved through OMLS.
Keywords: New normal teacher education; Science education; Teachers’ knowledge; Lesson
study; Distance learning; Teaching chemistry

I.INTRODUCTION
The education sector, which includes teacher education institutions (TEIs), was not spared
from the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, TEIs were forced to close after
the lockdown announcement, shifting the learning modality from face-to-face to distance
learning. The abrupt change in the education landscape brought many challenges. This
prompted TEIs to explore and use interventions to guarantee quality teacher training during
the pandemic.
The quality of teacher training is always associated with pedagogical content knowledge
(PCK). PCK is the ’missing paradigm’ of teachers’ knowledge that connects content and
pedagogy (Shulman, 2015). According to the Refined Consensus Model (RCM) of PCK,
professional knowledge bases are transformed into the three interconnected domains of PCK.
Professional knowledge bases establish teachers’ identity and mediate students’ outcomes.
One of the professional knowledge bases of the RCM is the content/subject matter knowledge
(SMK)- the academic content of a specific discipline (Carlson & Daehler, 2019). Since
teachers’ SMK significantly affects students’ achievement (Ekmekci et al., 2019; Hill et al.,
2005), it must be given attention. Nixon and colleagues (2016) mentioned that the inadequacy
of SMK among science teachers is a significant finding of studies on teachers’ SMK
evaluation. This was observed among primary science teachers (Greensfeld & Gross, 2020;
Kuc¸¨ ukaydin &¨ Sagir,˘ 2016), elementary science teachers
(Rice, 2005), and secondary science teachers (Moodley & Gaigher, 2017; Mizzi, 2013). Also,
it was reported that preservice elementary science teachers (Rice, 2005; Ultay, 2016)¨ and
preservice chemistry teachers (Boz & Boz, 2011; Usak et al., 2011) lack SMK. Since SMK
directly influences teachers’ teaching and students’ learning in science (Donna & Hick, 2017),
the lack of SMK must be appropriately addressed. In 2015, Harte and Reitano emphasized the
need for intervention research to support the SMK of prospective teachers. Furthermore, Boz
and Boz (2011) believed that prospective teachers should be facilitated to enhance their
conceptual understanding, while Harlow and colleagues (2014) highlighted those
opportunities that require prospective teachers to use their SMK should be provided.
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Teacher learning communities have been put forward to address the call for extensive
improvement of teaching and learning (Akiba et al., 2019). In particular, a collaborative
teacher-led activity that originated in Japan called lesson study has been used by educators as
an approach to enhance teaching and learning (Zhang, 2015). As a response, TEIs adopted
this approach in the form of microteaching lesson study to prepare prospective teachers.
Microteaching lesson study is the repeated cycles of planning, implementation, analysis, and
revision of purposely selected lessons between and among prospective teachers (Bahc¸ivan,
2017; Carrier, 2011; Fernandez, 2010; Kartal et al., 2012; Utami et al., 2016; Zhou et al.,
2017;). Griffiths (2016) mentioned that researchers, though few have focused their attention
on this adapted version of the lesson study to explain its effects on teacher development. It
was found that the exposure of prospective teachers to microteaching lesson study contributes
to the development of their PCK (Kartal et al., 2012) and affords the development of their
SMK (Bahc¸ivan, 2017; Boz & Can, 2020; Murtafiah & Lukitasari,
2019).
Meanwhile, technology has been used to facilitate lesson study. In 2019, Soto and colleagues
showed that a technology-facilitated lesson study provides professional learning between
participating individuals through synchronous and asynchronous communication technology.
In fact, lesson study teams working through distance-linking technology effectively supported
classroom teachers’ growth despite technology-related constraints (Koutsouris et al., 2017).

II. METHODOLOGY
The study employed a mixed-method explanatory sequential design in determining the effects
of OMLS as an intervention in improving the PETs’ SMK in chemistry. According to
Creswell and Plano Clark (2018), this two-phased mixed-method design involves a
quantitative phase that collects and analyzes quantitative data and a qualitative phase that
explains the initial quantitative results. In this study, quantitative measures (Chemistry
Achievement Test & SMK Survey) were applied before and after the implementation of
OMLS. The quantitative results, which described the effectiveness of the OMLS, were
explained by qualitative findings derived from qualitative measures (focus group discussion
and self-reflection).
The conceptual framework of the study.
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Procedure
To explicate the effects of OMLS on PETs’ SMK, the three stages, which were programmed
in seven weeks, were observed. The stages are:
Stage 1. Pre-Intervention
The PETs underwent synchronous and asynchronous online classes, covering the prescribed
teaching and learning activities of Teaching Science in Elementary Grades I (Chemistry and
Biology). Before implementing the intervention in the Teaching Chemistry Unit, the PETs
were given a lecture on OMLS. It focused on the nature and process of OMLS and the
structure (members and their function) of the OMLS team. Lastly, the PETs underwent a pre-
intervention assessment. Each prospective elementary teacher took the 17-item chemistry
achievement test online.
Stage 2. Implementation of Intervention
The members of the OMLS teams collaboratively established a research lesson via different
online platforms (different google applications such as but not limited to meet, Gmail, drive,
form, slides, sheets, docs; messaging applications like Facebook messenger). Each OMLS
team followed the phases of OMLS to successfully establish an inquiry-based elementary
grade chemistry lesson that served as the research lesson. The phases of the OMLS are:
1. Plan Phase. The OMLS teams set goals toward the establishment of a research lesson.
In formulating the research lesson, inquiry-based teaching was set as the approach to
delivering a given subject matter in elementary grade chemistry.
2. Teach Phase. The OMLS teams implemented the research lesson. To carry out the
research lesson, lesson implementers taught the inquiry-based elementary grade chemistry
lesson online.
3. Reflect Phase. The OMLS teams reviewed the result of the evaluation and made
decisions for revision.
4. Revise Phase. The OMLS teams revised the research lesson. Based on the agreed-
upon points in the reflect phase, the original instructional plan and instructional material were
revised.
Stage 3. Post-Intervention
The PETs underwent a post-intervention assessment. Each prospective elementary teacher
took the 17-item chemistry achievement test. This was followed by the submission of
individual self-reflection and the conduct of focus group discussion.
Implementation of the OMLS cycles.
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Qualitative Measures
The qualitative measures employed in the study were developed from the result of the
quantitative measures. These measures determined the influences of OMLS on PETs’ SMK,
which further explained the result of the quantitative measures. Four primary questions were
designed to gather data that will explain the quantitative results. These are
1) In what way did OMLS help you develop your SMK?
2). In what specific stage of OMLS did you gain SMK?
3) In what way did you gain/improve on the subject matter of other OMLS teams? and
4) In what way did OMLS help you develop your ability to demonstrate subject matter
knowledge in teaching chemistry?
One of the measures is focus group discussion. A group interview was conducted to explicate
the shared experiences of the PETs throughout the OMLS. They were grouped based on their
achievement and nature of participation in the OMLS. In all, three groups were formed and
subjected to interviews. The interview took place online, divided into four parts
1) introduction of participants and short briefing,
2) individual sharing of experiences,
3) exchange of ideas between and among the participants,
4) closing remarks. The online group interview was recorded and transcribed to arrive at an
extended text. The extended text served as one of the data sources that determined the
influences of OMLS on PETs’ SMK. The other measure is the self-reflection which is the
overall reflection of the PETs regarding the implementation of the OMLS. Participants were
asked to submit their reflections as part of the electronic portfolio of each OMLS team. Their
reflection was anchored on their SMK growth all throughout the OMLS. It was semi-
structured, meaning their writing followed guide questions but had no fixed answers to each
question. The submitted self-reflection served as one of the data sources that determined the
influences of OMLS on PETs’ SMK.
Quantitative Analysis
After the collection of quantitative data, the normality of each variable was determined

specific variables. As shown in the analysis framework, dependent and independent samples
t-tests were employed for normally distributed variables (p>.05), while the Mann-Whitney U
test was employed for non-normally distributed variables (p<.05). These tests determined the
effects of OMLS on PETS’ SMK in chemistry.

III. Results

To summarize this study, a joint display was designed to show quantitative and qualitative
results. With the integration of results, a meta-inference that determined the overall effect of
OMLS on PETs’ SMK was formulated. The joint display shows a significant improvement in
the level of achievement in chemistry of the PETs after they participated in OMLS. Through
the different OMLS tasks that employed active learning and metacognition, PETs reinforced
conceptual understanding and conceptual change, resulting in an improved chemistry
achievement. Secondly, the extent of improvement in the chemistry achievement of PETs
under the two groups is the same, which also shows that PETs improved within and outside
their research lesson. The gain can also be explained by the active learning and metacognitive
activities involved in OMLS. At the same time, the improvement of PETs outside their
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research lesson can be explained by the involvement of PETs to lesson implementation and
research lesson evaluation. Lastly, there is a significant improvement in the ability of PETs to
demonstrate mastery of the subject matter after they participated in OMLS. Through the
repeated lesson implementation, PETs were able to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter.
The combined result made the researchers infer that PETs’ SMK in chemistry improved in
OMLS. This inference is consistent with the finding of Bahc¸ivan (2017), Boz and Can
(2020), and Murtafiah and Lukitasari (2019) that microteaching lesson study affords the
development of SMK among prospective teachers (Bahc¸ivan, 2017; Boz & Can, 2020;
Murtafiah & Lukitasari, 2019). Also, the lesson study, from which the microteaching lesson
study stemmed, shares the same result wherein science teachers involved in the lesson study
showed an improved SMK (Gutierez, S, 2016; Handayani et al., 2018). Indeed, OMLS is an
effective approach to improving PETs’ SMK in chemistry.

Table 8. Joint display of the quantitative and qualitative results

IV. Conclusion

This study investigated the effects of OMLS on the SMK in chemistry of PETs. It intended to
provide an intervention that would guarantee the quality of teacher training in distance
learning during the pandemic. Also, it aimed to contribute knowledge regarding the
approaches for developing the professional knowledge base of prospective teachers and the
adaptation of lesson study in teacher training institutions.
Quantitative results showed a significant effect of OMLS on PETs’ SMK as indicated by the
improved achievement in chemistry, the identical normalized gain scores of the OMLS
groups, and the enhanced SMK survey results of the OMLS teams. This is supported and
explained by the qualitative results, which showed that OMLS reinforced conceptual
understanding by involving PETs in active learning, catalyzed conceptual change by
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enforcing PETs to employ metacognition, and improved the ability to demonstrate SMK in
teaching chemistry through the repeated lesson implementation. Integrating the quantitative
and qualitative results led the researchers to conclude that OMLS is an effective approach to
improving PETs’ subject matter knowledge. Thus, the adaptation of lesson study in the form
of OMLS can be a model approach for the developing prospective teachers’ SMK in science,
including other subject areas. Moreover, the integration of OMLS in TEIs illustrates how
quality teacher training in online distance learning can be guaranteed. TEIs implementing the
same learning modality may adopt OMLS to enable distant prospective teachers to work
collaboratively with the benefit of improving knowledge on specific content.
Finally, the study contributes to the current literature on lesson study by identifying the effect
of OMLS, a fusion of microteaching lesson study and technology-facilitated lesson study, on
prospective teachers’ specific professional knowledge base- the SMK. However, it must be
noted that the OMLS was implemented in a few prospective teachers within a short period.
Initial findings, however, open opportunities for further studies, specifically on the influences
of OMLS on PETs’ SMK. To end, the determined effect of OMLS poses a more significant
question because several studies, including the RCM model, show that growth in SMK
contributes to the development of PCK- can OMLS improve PETs’ PCK?

References
Joey-Nell T. Marzan1*, Wilfred B. Bambico2,
University of Northern Philippines, Vigan City, Philippines
Saint Louis University, Baguio City, Philippines
Joey-Nell Marzan, (2024) Online Microteaching Lesson Study: An Approach to Improve
Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Subject Matter Knowledge in Chemistry
Journal of Educational and Human Resource Development 10:1-19 (2022)
Southern Leyte State University, Sogod, Southern Leyte, Philippines