The reflexive-dialogic dimension of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in university teaching

This paper presents some of the results of a research project whose aim was to study university teaching practice through a multidimensional construct1, "Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)", which synthesises and integrates content, pedagogical and experiential knowledge of university teachers. This concept was developed within the research programme called " Knowledge Growth in a Profession: development of knowledge in teaching", by Lee Shulman from the University of Standford. Although this concept was thoroughly analysed in different studies focusing on secondary teaching, studies in higher education and an analysis of its potential to improve teaching quality at university level are still lacking. Articulated methodically as a multiple-case study, this article focuses on analysing PCK manifestations evident in the teaching practice of three university lecturers, highly recognised for their academic and pedagogical expertise. Crossing data from a prolonged and systematic observation period with those from the self-evaluation of educators' own practices through in-depth interviews, our results characterise one PCK component which up to now lacks empirical data: the reflective-dialogic dimension. Thus, PCK is a multidimensional construct articulated into three large dimensions: the genesis of student explanation needs and comprehension expectations, the transformation of knowledge and the reflexive-dialogic dimension. In this paper, we focus on the latter which, in our view, is the most novel.