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Introduction
There has been an ongoing debate concerning what makes great teaching, the components of great teaching, and qualities of great teachers? Effective teaching has been defined as that which leads to improved student achievement using outcomes that matter to their future success (Coe et al., 2014). It has been suggested that teachers that do not possess additional pedagogical competencies (PCs) perform less (Ningtiyas and Jailan, 2018; Madhavaram and Laverie, 2010; Merkt, 2017), and this negatively affects students' learning outcomes (Kember, 1997). Indeed, teachers affect students' academic achievements from the point of entry into HE institutions and can influence students' performance (Blazar and Kraft, 2016; Merkt, 2017). As a result, the focus of this study is to examine whether HE teachers who undergo pedagogical training (PT) in addition to obtaining Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) qualification possess higher competencies than those that possess only PhD qualification without PT. For clarity purposes, lecturers are teachers who teach in universities and HE colleges and will be referred to as HE teachers throughout this article, while “Pedagogical Content Knowledge” (PCK) refers to the context-specific knowledge that teachers activate when reflecting on practice that emphasizes content knowledge, general knowledge, curriculum knowledge, knowledge of learners, and their characteristics (Igwe et al., 2019a, p. 4).
In their study, Coe et al. (2014) reveal six common components (in the order of strong correlation) suggested by research when assessing teaching quality that focuses on approaches, skills, and knowledge required to improve student outcomes. First, PCK has strong evidence of impact on student outcomes. Coe et al. (2014) maintain that the most effective teachers have deep knowledge of the subjects they teach, and when teachers' knowledge falls below a certain level, it is a significant impediment to students' learning. Second is the quality of instruction, which includes elements such as effective questioning and use of assessment by teachers (including practices, such as reviewing previous learning, providing model responses for students, etc.). Third is the classroom climate, which involves the quality of interactions between teachers and students and teacher expectations. Fourth is classroom management related to teacher's abilities to make efficient use of lesson time, to coordinate classroom resources and space, and to manage students' behavior with clear rules that are consistently enforced....