Study Limitations and Further Research
This study attempted to investigate possible links between 11 pedagogical knowledge practices and student outcomes within a STEM education unit of work. Although the pedagogical knowledge practices are statistically interrelated (Hudson et al., 2005), understanding the relationship between each of the practices was not included in this study. Indeed, teachers may not necessarily differentiate between the practices, for example, they are often assessing while they are teaching when using multiple teaching strategies. The study did not provide a full picture of each practice but rather examples of student outcomes that may be associated with a particular pedagogical knowledge practice. The study did not provide an evaluation of the Medical Mission activities to determine all student outcomes but instead singled out specific pedagogical knowledge practices for the purposes of linking these practices to particular student outcomes such as knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Nevertheless, effective STEM education will require teachers to link pedagogical knowledge practices to student outcomes.