Enacting simulations in physics micro-teaching: insights into pre-service teachers’ TPACK

Abstract Digital simulations are widely used in physics education; however, their instructional value depends not on their mere presence, but on how and when they are pedagogically and epistemically enacted during physics teaching. This study examines how pre-service physics teachers integrate digital simulations within microteaching contexts, with particular attention to the phase-dependent roles assigned to simulations across the 5E instructional model. Adopting a qualitative multiple case study design, the study draws on classroom observations, analytic observation rubrics, lesson plans, instructional artefacts, and semi-structured interviews from three pre-service physics teachers purposefully selected to represent contrasting levels of instructional enactment. Data were analysed through a two-stage process combining within-case analysis and cross-case comparison, aligned with the phases of the 5E model and physics-specific dimensions of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). To support analytic transparency, a participant-specific pedagogical enactment heatmap was constructed to visualise the depth and distribution of simulation use across instructional phases. The findings reveal clear differences in both the pedagogical depth and phase-specific distribution of simulation use. Inquiry-oriented enactment of simulations was strongly associated with higher instructional quality, whereas demonstrative or fragmented uses aligned with lower-quality teaching practices. Importantly, effective simulation use was not confined to the explore phase but extended meaningfully into the explain and elaborate phases when simulations were orchestrated as epistemic tools supporting causal-mechanistic reasoning, coordination of multiple representations, and conceptual sense-making. These findings position simulation use as a dynamic, phase-dependent component of technology-enhanced physics instruction and highlight the importance of supporting pre-service teachers in regulating simulations as epistemic resources rather than as visual aids. The study contributes a practice-oriented perspective on TPACK as enacted knowledge and offers implications for the design of simulation-focused learning experiences in physics teacher education. While these findings offer valuable insights into TPACK enactment, the simulated nature of microteaching highlights the need for further research in authentic classroom settings.