Deconstructing pedagogical knowledge: an analysis of the internal structure of performance across domains in initial teacher education

Abstract

This study analyzes the internal structure of pedagogical knowledge among the 1,035 students enrolled in Initial Teacher Education in Physical Education in Chile, based on domain-specific results from the 2024 National Diagnostic Assessment (NDA). A quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive-comparative design was employed, drawing on secondary analysis of official data from 1,035 students attending Chilean universities. Achievement percentages were examined across four pedagogical domains: preparation for teaching, learning environment, teaching for the learning of all students, and professional responsibilities, in order to compare performance across domains and institutions according to administrative dependency. The results reveal a non-homogeneous internal structure of pedagogical knowledge, with the domain of professional responsibilities showing the highest levels of performance, while learning environment and teaching concentrated the lowest levels. In addition, private G9 universities showed higher results, in contrast to those observed in public universities. It is concluded that pedagogical preparation shows unequal integration across dimensions of pedagogical knowledge among student teachers, based on the achievement levels attained in the NDA.