Elementary Teachers’ Science Background and Its Impact on Their Science Teaching

Resumo

Background: Mastery of science content is an important skill that teachers must teach in the classroom. Teachers' lack of understanding of science content will also impact the implementation of science learning in the classroom. Objectives: The study determine the depth of the concept and level of science content knowledge of elementary school teachers regarding their science backgrounds. Design: This research is qualitative with a case study design. Setting and Participants: The participants in this study were four teachers with different science backgrounds who volunteered to be the subject of research. Data collection and analysis: The data were analyzed descriptively by combining all sources. In the first stage, researchers analyzed the learning video using video analysis techniques and the concept-depth observation sheet. Source triangulation was then carried out by interviewing four elementary school teachers. The data sources for this research are observation sheets, video recordings, and interview results. Results: The results showed that the science background of elementary school teachers does not affect the depth of concepts that teachers teach or the level of competence in content knowledge (CK) of science teachers. Conclusions: The learning process during the teaching experience better describes the extent of the depth of concepts and the level of competence in content knowledge (CK) of science teachers. This research implies that elementary school teachers need the importance of lifelong learning concepts and professional development in teaching science in the classroom.