Pedagogical content knowledge in the teaching of expository-explanatory texts by primary school teachers

Abstract

Study Objective: To understand how the teaching staff of primary schools in Circasia (Quindío, Colombia) constructs and gives meaning to the impact of cognitive, formative, and contextual factors on the configuration of their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching the production of expository-explanatory texts. Methodology: Qualitative research with an interpretive-hermeneutic paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight teachers, along with classroom observations and document analysis, including the Institutional Educational Project (PEI), subject area plans, and national curriculum guidelines (MEN, Colombia). Data were processed in an open, axial, and selective manner with methodological triangulation. Main Findings: A situated and active PCK was identified, with strengths in writing instruction and gaps in the discursive dimension of the genre. Teachers construct their PCK amidst tension between limited initial training, institutional pedagogical models, and reflection on their practice. The narrative structure remains dominant as the primary cognitive obstacle. Applications: The results can guide the design of specific continuing education programs, differentiated curricular pathways, and institutional policies for teaching expository writing in primary education in Latin American contexts. Novelty/Originality: This study offers situated evidence that accounts for the construction of content knowledge (CK) in expository-explanatory writing in primary education, articulating three explanatory factors (cognitive, formative, and contextual) to demonstrate an educational practice with an interpretive-hermeneutic approach; an approach that appears but is rarely addressed in Latin American literature