Teaching practice internships provide opportunities for pre-service teachers (PSTs) to enact their knowledge in real classroom settings. This paper investigated PSTs' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) about electrostatics, its translation into practice and factors that affect the translation. The refined consensus model (RCM) of PCK served as…

The teaching of genetics has not been effective in promoting a scientifically acceptable understanding of basic genetics concepts. This study addresses that gap by reporting on topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) enacted by a teacher educator as she teaches a content course on basic genetics concepts to fourth-year pre-service…

Teaching science to elementary school students is complex, and teacher preparation programs must support pre-service teachers' learning to communicate science content and practices with children. Science teachers bring the experiences they have as students to their teacher preparation, and these experiences may support or conflict with what they…

Practical, or laboratory, work is a common pedagogical strategy used in school science classrooms, yet its effectiveness for enhancing student learning is contested. Developing teachers' pedagogical knowledge about planning for practical work can improve its effectiveness by ensuring that tasks are well-conceived and effective for linking what…

Science Olympiad is a K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competition that engages approximately 7,000 teams across the U.S. in individual and team challenges at regional, state, and national levels. Science Olympiad began expanding to include elementary students in 2008. Yet, little is known about the adults who…

This study explores a third-grade teacher's (Deb) developing knowledge and practice for incorporating representations into her teaching of science over the course of 2 years. Data was gathered from the same science unit (Rock Formation) over 2 years, and consisted of video of seven lessons, one of which was the same lesson taught over both years.…

Teacher preparation programs often rely on college science courses to help preservice elementary teachers learn science subject matter. However, the impact of these courses has not been sufficiently explored. In this study we explore the relationships between new elementary teachers' science subject matter knowledge and their college science…

This study investigated in what ways and to what extent the interactions between the components of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) differ for junior high school science teachers with different levels of content knowledge. Data were collected from three science teachers through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The…

One of the United States' higher education system's most important tasks is properly preparing elementary teachers to teach science. Teachers' ability to use their science subject matter knowledge (SMK) to effectively develop pedagogical approaches can significantly contribute to their students' engagement in science and motivation to pursue…

This study examined the impact of a practice-based approach to in-service science teacher education, using small-group discussions about photovoltaic (PV) science to support teachers' instruction on sustainable energy transitions in response to climate change risks. Ultimately, we aimed to promote teachers' PV science comprehension as well as…

Integrated language arts and science & technology (ILS&T) instruction can make learning more meaningful and improve student learning outcomes for both subjects. Although the literature has stressed that such integrated instruction presents pedagogical challenges for elementary school teachers, little is yet known about the specific…

Science teachers should be able to notice student preconceptions in order to adapt instructions to their students' needs and support the learning process. Noticing as a core practice of teaching should thus be implemented early in science teacher education. A crucial prerequisite for noticing is knowledge about students' preconceptions, which is…

Bridging the theory-practice gap remains a challenge in preparing preservice elementary teachers for science teaching. Research experiences for undergraduates (REU) offer a potential way to help preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) come to value and implement research-based science teaching. REUs come in many forms but often take the form of…

Evolution is a fundamental part of biology and thus it is essential that biology preservice teachers understand and accept it. The relationship between knowledge and acceptance of evolution, and specifically human evolution, has not been fully investigated in Israel. We sought to learn about that relationship amongst Israeli Jewish religious…

Instructional coaching has emerged as a promising form of professional development for teachers. However, little is known about the background, contexts, professional responsibilities, and beliefs of instructional coaches who work with science teachers. This mixed-methods study focused on instructional coaches in secondary schools across the…