PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN ACTION AND PERSONAL PCK ABOUT SCIENCE OF MASTER’S STUDENTS IN NATURAL SCIENCES EDUCATION: MOBILIZATIONS AND REFLECTIONS FROM A FICTIONAL DIDACTIC SITUATION

Abstract

This study is linked to the field of Science Teacher Education, and its research objective is to characterize how master’s students in Science Education mobilize and reflect on Pedagogical Content Knowledge in action (ePCK) and provide feedback to their personal Pedagogical Content Knowledge (pPCK) when faced with dilemmas about the Nature of Science. Through a qualitative approach, triangulation was employed between a Likert Scale and a Fictional Didactic Situation (FDS) to simulate classroom decision-making. The results reveal a gap between progressive discourse and actual practice. It was noted that, under pressure, teachers retreat to traditional stances when managing conflicts such as denialism and sexism, prioritizing the maintenance of authority over socio-scientific mediation. The findings indicate that the mobilization of ePCK is limited by theoretical insecurity in epistemology, highlighting gaps in pPCK. It is concluded that the FDS acts as a metacognitive mirror, essential for teachers to identify such weaknesses and provide feedback to their knowledge base, thereby qualifying critical training in Science Education.