Globally, there's increasing concern about teacher training quality, emphasizing the need for well-trained, competent teachers. Competent teachers require adequate pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), as theorized by Shulman (1987) and expanded by Mishra and Koehler (2006) to include technological pedagogical knowledge. This study focuses on the often-overlooked area of pre-service teachers' pedagogical preparedness in their minor subjects. In Ghana, pre-service teachers commonly teach minor subjects (e.g., pre-service geography teachers teaching economics), highlighting the need to assess their competence in these areas. While existing research explores teacher motivation and challenges related to minor subjects, few studies systematically assess pedagogical competence in these secondary subjects. This study aims to address this gap by investigating Ghanaian pre-service geography teachers' pedagogical competence in their minor subjects and analyzing how this competence varies across different minor subjects. The study uses three constructs from the TPACK framework: pedagogical knowledge (PK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to assess their competence and determine the implications for teacher education curriculum.

The literature highlights concerns about teacher training quality and the importance of teacher competence, particularly concerning pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Shulman's (1987) work and subsequent expansions by Mishra and Koehler (2006) have established the importance of PCK and technological pedagogical knowledge in effective teaching. However, research on pre-service teachers' competence in minor subjects remains limited. Studies on minor subjects often focus on teacher motivations and challenges, rather than a systematic assessment of pedagogical competence. For example, Havia et al. (2022) examined pre-service teachers' lived experiences, revealing less enthusiasm for minor subjects. This study aims to fill this research gap by quantitatively assessing pre-service teachers' pedagogical competence in their minor subjects. The study will use three key constructs adapted from TPACK: PK, PCK, and TPK to measure this competence.

This study employed a cross-sectional survey design using an online questionnaire adapted from Su et al. (2017). The questionnaire measured three constructs of pedagogical competence: pedagogical knowledge (PK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), each assessed using a five-point Likert scale. The study sample consisted of 182 (49.32%) of 369 final-year pre-service geography teachers at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, predominantly male (77%). Data was collected during their off-campus teaching practice. Cronbach's alpha demonstrated satisfactory reliability (0.75-0.91). Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) were used, along with a one-way MANOVA test to compare pedagogical competencies across different minor subject groupings (social studies, political science, history, economics). Before the MANOVA, assumptions of normality, outliers, linearity, homogeneity of variance-covariance matrices, and multicollinearity were checked.

The results showed that pre-service teachers had relatively high pedagogical knowledge (PK) in their minor subjects (M = 4.29), indicating adequate knowledge of instructional strategies, lesson planning, assessment, classroom management, and student learning. However, their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) were lower (M = 4.07 for both). The highest PK score was for guiding students in group discussions, while the lowest was for designing challenging tasks to facilitate thinking. In PCK, the highest score was for creating lesson plans, while the lowest scores were for breaking down teaching objectives and guiding theme-based inquiry. In TPK, the highest scores were for using technology to enhance student enthusiasm and active participation, while the lowest scores were for critically evaluating technology use and adaptive technology use in various teaching activities. A one-way MANOVA revealed a significant effect of minor subject grouping on pedagogical knowledge (F(3, 178) = 3.72, p = 0.013), with the economics minor group scoring significantly higher. However, no significant effects were found for PCK or TPK based on minor subject groupings. Tables 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in the original paper provide detailed statistical results.

The findings show that while pre-service geography teachers possess adequate pedagogical knowledge, their PCK and TPK in minor subjects require improvement. This is despite the relatively high pedagogical knowledge scores, suggesting that while general teaching skills are strong, subject-specific knowledge application and technology integration need more attention. The significant effect of minor subject grouping on PK, specifically the higher scores for economics minors, highlights the potential benefits of selecting minor subjects within a similar subject area, supporting Havia et al.'s (2022) observation. The lack of significant differences in PCK and TPK across minor subject groups might stem from the limited number of minor subject courses and the absence of subject-specific didactic courses in the teacher education program. The lower PCK and TPK suggest potential challenges when these pre-service teachers begin teaching their minor subjects.

This study underscores the need to enhance pre-service teachers' PCK and TPK in minor subjects. Teacher education curricula should incorporate subject-specific didactic courses and more opportunities for practical application in minor subject areas. Future research should employ observational methods to assess competence in real teaching contexts and explore the impact of curriculum changes on teacher effectiveness in minor subjects. The study's limitations include the use of self-reported data and the context-specific nature of the Ghanaian teacher education system.

The study's main limitations are the reliance on self-reported data, which is susceptible to biases such as overestimation of abilities by low-skilled respondents, and the context-specific nature of the Ghanaian teacher education system, limiting the generalizability of the findings to other educational settings. Future research using observational methods would strengthen the study's conclusions.