Teacher Contextual Knowledge (XK) Development:The Case of Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) is one of the most prominent frameworks that outlines the types of knowledge teachers need to teach effectively with technology. Recent research on TPACK has emphasised Contextual Knowledge (XK), which accounts for teachers’ understanding of where teaching and learning are situated. Aiming to contribute to advancing research on XK, this case study investigated teachers’ development of XK and the challenges they faced in the process. The participants were five English language teachers across two secondary schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The data were primarily gathered through in-depth interviews, informed by teachers’ lesson plans and digital teaching artefacts. Three layers of context –micro (classroom level), meso (school and community levels), and macro (national and global levels) –were used as a framework for analysing the data. Derived through thematic analysis, the findings highlight that participating teachers benefitted from informal engagement with students at the micro level, as well as collegial collaboration and professional learning at the meso level. At the macro level, they talked about the usefulness of technology-mediated professional learning, particularly through social media. Time constraints due to teacher workload were identified as a key barrier to their XK development. The study highlights the implications of different spaces and modes of professional learning for XK development and calls for policies to regulate teacher administrative burdens.