UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) refers to a teacher’s ability to represent subject matter in ways that are understandable and learnable for students. It blends deep content understanding with knowledge of pedagogy,including suitable examples,analogies and explanations. The stem describes selecting examples and analogies to make complex content easier,which is a direct expression of PCK.

Option A:
Pure content knowledge involves knowing facts,concepts and procedures in a subject but does not necessarily include understanding how to teach them effectively.

Option B:
Raw content knowledge similarly refers to unprocessed subject expertise without pedagogical adaptation.

Option C:
Pedagogical content knowledge is what differentiates an expert teacher from someone who merely knows the subject,so it is the correct completion for the behaviour described.

Option D:
Administrative knowledge concerns organisational procedures,rules and paperwork and is not related to selecting teaching examples.

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) emphasises that knowing a subject is not enough for effective teaching; teachers must also know how to represent that content in ways that are understandable to learners. This requires pedagogical knowledge about methods,examples,analogies and typical misconceptions. Shulman argued that PCK is a unique professional knowledge base of teachers. Thus,the second component to be integrated with content knowledge is pedagogical knowledge.

Option A:
Financial knowledge may be useful for managing budgets or personal finances but is not central to transforming content into teachable forms. It does not define the professional expertise of classroom teaching described by Shulman.

Option B:
Pedagogical knowledge includes understanding of instructional strategies,classroom management,assessment and learner characteristics. When combined with deep content knowledge,it enables teachers to design effective explanations and activities. Because the stem refers to integrating subject matter with another kind of knowledge,pedagogical is the correct answer.

Option C:
Biographical knowledge about learners’ life histories can be helpful for guidance and counselling but is not the core pairing in Shulman’s concept of PCK.

Option D:
Geographical knowledge pertains to spatial information about places and regions and is relevant only to specific subjects,not to the general idea of how to teach content effectively.