Gaps in science content knowledge encountered during teaching practice: A study of early-career middle-school science teachers

Subject-specific content knowledge is crucial for effective science teaching, yet many teachers are entering the field not fully equipped with all the science content knowledge they need to effectively teach the subject. Learning from practice is one approach to bridging the gap between what practicing teachers know and what they need to know. This dissertation explores one aspect of learning from practice: when and how teachers encounter gaps in their science content knowledge during teaching practice and whether and how the teachers recognize those gaps. Classroom lessons of six early-career middle-;school science teachers in three states were observed and video-taped to document apparent gaps in their science content knowledge. The observations were followed by interviews with each teacher to determine when the teachers encountered science content knowledge gaps, the nature of those gaps, and whether the teacher recognized the gaps. Additional analysis focused on how the observed gaps may have been influenced by teachers' undergraduate science coursework, expressed confidence in their knowledge of the subjects they were observed teaching, and level of daily preparation to teach. Practices that helped teachers recognize gaps in their knowledge (and consequently opened opportunities to learn from practice) were identified, as were common practices that seemed to hinder learning from practice.