Abstract—In this study, we organized and implemented learning communities in an introductory technology course for pre-service secondary teachers. There were 49 participants enrolled in the course “Instructional Media and Applications” in the fall semester of 2015. To measure the participants’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), a questionnaire was administered at the beginning and end of the course. To understand the participants’ perceptions on learning communities, another questionnaire was administered at the end of the course. The results indicate that all the TPACK constructs were significantly improved except the content knowledge construct. Furthermore, the participants expressed a favorable perception on joining in learning communities. There was also an enhancement of interpersonal relations, human skills, practical knowledge, and quality of artifacts. However, two problems were identified in the process of learning communities, namely availability of time and degree of participation. Based on the research findings, relevant suggestions are provided at the end. 
 

Index Terms—learning communities, teacher preparation, technology integration, technological pedagogical content knowledge

Cite: Ya-Fung Chang, Chia-Ling Hsu, and Pin-Syuan Ciou, "Examining the Use of Learning Communities to Improve Pre-service Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge," International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 136-143, June 2017. doi: 10.18178/ijlt.3.2.136-143