Curriculum Management and Pedagogical Content Knowledge Development: Mentor Teachers’ Perspectives on Accounting Work-Integrated Learning

Radhakrishnan Nair (Walter Sisulu University, South Africa)

Managere: Indonesian Journal of Educational Management
Vol. 8 No. 3 (2026)

This study explored mentor teachers' perceptions of the teacher education curriculum's role in developing Accounting student-teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) during Work-Integrated Learning (WIL). The study used an interpretivist qualitative case study design in seven secondary schools in the OR Tambo Inland Education District, South Africa. The study collected data from seven purposively selected Accounting mentor teachers through semi-structured written responses and analyzed them using data condensation, data display, conclusion drawing, and verification. The findings show that micro-teaching, guided lesson planning, school-based practice, feedback, reflection, and authentic classroom engagement consistently supported curriculum-mediated PCK development. However, gaps in Accounting content knowledge, limited practical exposure, inadequate resources, classroom-management challenges, and contextual constraints hindered PCK development. The study concludes that Accounting PCK develops through integrating disciplinary knowledge, subject-specific pedagogy, WIL, mentoring, reflection, and contextual adaptation across contexts. The study implies that teacher education programs should strengthen Accounting content preparation, extend structured teaching practice, enhance mentor lecturer collaboration, provide contextualized learning experiences, and better prepare student-teachers for rural and resource-constrained classrooms.