This study sought to explore the connections between experiential learning and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in agriculture teacher candidates. Guided by Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle and the 2015 PCK model, we utilized a phenomenological approach to examine how agriculture teacher candidates construct their own knowledge, then amplify and/or filter personal knowledge to support students’ understanding of content. The purposefully selected population for this study included all agriculture teacher candidates at Oregon State University (N = 10). Three sources of qualitative data were collected and triangulated: field notes, lesson plans, and interviews. Context was found to be an important theme for describing the lived experiences of these participants. The context in which they learned content and the context in which they planned for and taught content for student understanding were both evident, and quite different. The felt need to learn was a decisive component of the context for learning. Context for teaching was shaped by the subject area being taught, by the teacher applying amplifiers and filters, and by the classroom environment. We recommend teacher preparation programs foster thinking about how personal and educational experiences can be used for developing PCK and continue to identify learning experiences to help teacher candidates develop PCK.
Stewart et al. (Mon,) studied this question.